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Project Ara – Google's modular phone project

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Re: Project Ara – Google's modular phone project

#41

Post by Fuxy »

jan_g wrote: post #26
josefresco wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Size matters? My Android friends have huge phones (and cases) - Clearly they don't mind a phone being big and if the phone had cheap replaceable parts, that giant "life proof" case wouldn't be needed. Weight matters? I have never heard "I wish my phone was lighter" from anyone, anywhere. In fact I've heard from several who think a heavier phone means it's "better made". Battery life - Again my Android friends (and a…

It does matter when comparing with alternatives. Modular phone with comparable specs to other phones (screen size, cpu, camera, etc) would probably be bigger, thicker, heavier and uglier. In other words, even when a customer is buying a big 5"+ phone, then I think he/she will probably not choose the modular one.

Modularity has its advantages too. You could always run a bare bones phone with only the hardware you actually use attached to it while having a very good battery.

Re: Project Ara – Google's modular phone project

#42

Post by LarryMade2 »

Yeah, right.

I remember computers built in the 90s and 2000s, touting their modular construction and never having to buy a new system again. I wonder if those machines are still in operation?

I think what would guarantee longevity is something that is rock-solid good, inexpensive, repairable, and easy to develop on. I'm thinking of track records of computers like the Commodore 64, iMac, or in vehicles like the beetle, video game consoles, ipod, iphone etc.

Re: Project Ara – Google's modular phone project

#43

Post by Tyrannosaurs »

mhurron wrote: post #33
jan_g wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It does matter when comparing with alternatives. Modular phone with comparable specs to other phones (screen size, cpu, camera, etc) would probably be bigger, thicker, heavier and uglier. In other words, even when a customer is buying a big 5"+ phone, then I think he/she will probably not choose the modular one.

> heavier and uglier I can give you bigger and thicker since I would expect those too. Neither is really a problem though. One of the benefits of the otterbox case for my Galaxy G3 is that it made the phone thicker, and it's already on the big side. Heavier though will probably depend on the modules you choose, and ugly, well I thought what they were showing looked kind of good. Personally, a lack of a SD card is one…

The interesting thing about the mobile phone market is how big it is and what that means for niches.

There are about 900m Android phones out there. That means if you assume only 10% of the market might be interested in a particular variant of phone, your total addressable market is still 90 million (and growing).

My instinct is that this level of customisation is probably a relatively niche thing but - as outlined above - that doesn't mean that there isn't room for it to be commercially successful.

Re: Project Ara – Google's modular phone project

#44

Post by adestefan »

josefresco wrote: post #38
jan_g wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It does matter when comparing with alternatives. Modular phone with comparable specs to other phones (screen size, cpu, camera, etc) would probably be bigger, thicker, heavier and uglier. In other words, even when a customer is buying a big 5"+ phone, then I think he/she will probably not choose the modular one.

I think the key is the purchasing model. A "free phone" with contract every 2 years creates a situation where the consumer doesn't value repairing/upgrading their phone. If you had to pay say $600-$800 for a phone upfront, one is upgradable/repairable and the other is not (but faster/sexier) I think some (maybe many) would choose the former.

I know people that just toss an $800 laptop like it's nothing when something goes wrong. We truly live in a disposable society.

Re: Project Ara – Google's modular phone project

#45

Post by silverlake »

Zigurd wrote: post #3

I give this about a 5% chance of success, and 1% market share, maybe less, if it does succeed. That's still more than 10 million units per year, so not a failure. But this isn't going to be your next phone. If it falls much below that unit volume, the scheme implodes because the optional components will not find enough of a market to get manufactured. In order to succeed, the internal connectivity scheme needs to not…

Drop the screen and add specialty sensors: you've got the Internet of Things.

Re: Project Ara – Google's modular phone project

#46

Post by ama729 »

sdfx wrote: post #8

I think John Gruber over at Daring Fireball said it best: "I remain highly skeptical that a modular design can compete in a product category where size, weight, and battery life are at such a premium. Even if they can bring something to market, why would any normal person be interested in a phone like this?" http://daringfireball.net/linked/2014/04/15/project-ara

Except the important thing is "how much", nobody care if it's 1mm thicker or 20g heavier, especially for someone who would value modularity.

Re: Project Ara – Google's modular phone project

#47

Post by acjohnson55 »

phaer wrote: post #30
sdfx wrote: post #8

I think John Gruber over at Daring Fireball said it best: "I remain highly skeptical that a modular design can compete in a product category where size, weight, and battery life are at such a premium. Even if they can bring something to market, why would any normal person be interested in a phone like this?" http://daringfireball.net/linked/2014/04/15/project-ara

Well, it has some other benefits which might outweigh those points. Beside the added flexibility in general, ecological benefits might be one of those because you can avoid highly toxic and expensive-to-recycle waste if you can replace parts of your phone and escape the "I need to replace my phone every two years because one small part is now outdated or broken"-cycle.

I'm not sure it's any better to have to manufacture and dispose of dozens of little modules. In fact, I think it's probably worse.

Re: Project Ara – Google's modular phone project

#48

Post by [deleted] »

sdfx wrote: post #8

I think John Gruber over at Daring Fireball said it best: "I remain highly skeptical that a modular design can compete in a product category where size, weight, and battery life are at such a premium. Even if they can bring something to market, why would any normal person be interested in a phone like this?" http://daringfireball.net/linked/2014/04/15/project-ara

[deleted]

Re: Project Ara – Google's modular phone project

#49

Post by bausson »

There is a market, or should I say: there are markets: * people who often broke their screens (my current boss is at 3 screens in 2 years, and counting) * enthusiast, early adopters, developpers,... * There is probably a good way to market it in developing countries too.

I would love having that phone, even more with a firefoxOS running on it. Having that plateform with open hardware specifications would be a huge boon for it to become a viable ecosystem. I could see firefoxOS and windows phone boarding it quite easily if it take.

PS: whereas specifications are open or not, IDK at the moment, not a lot of reliable information being available. Wishful thinking on my part I suppose. Still hoping.

Re: Project Ara – Google's modular phone project

#50

Post by return0 »

sdfx wrote: post #8

I think John Gruber over at Daring Fireball said it best: "I remain highly skeptical that a modular design can compete in a product category where size, weight, and battery life are at such a premium. Even if they can bring something to market, why would any normal person be interested in a phone like this?" http://daringfireball.net/linked/2014/04/15/project-ara

I don't think Google expects this to be a massive consumer product, but it sounds like it can be great fun for techies. In this case, Gruber's opinion hardly matters.
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