News of Google's Project Ara failing the drop test was apparently just a joke, albeit not a very good one, the company reckons.
Project Ara is a promising initiative to create a modular smartphone that would allow consumers to design their own device by putting the modules (such as camera, processor and others) that best suit their needs, preferences and budgets.
As one can imagine, a modular smartphone also entails a method of securing those magnets in place. Google initially opted for electropermanent magnets to do the trick, but the company has now changed its mind and decided to do away with the magnets in favor of a new configuration.
Rather than announcing that it has come up with a new method of securing the modules to the smartphone, the person in charge of the Project Ara account on Twitter apparently thought it would be better to joke around and inform users that Project Ara failed the drop test, so the Ara team would have to ditch the magnet system.
The Internet took the news as serious business and had a field day over Project Ara's supposedly failed drop test, making it sound like a bunch of building blocks scattering all over the place upon hitting the floor.
The Project Ara team again took to Twitter to clarify that the failed drop test was just a joke and, in fact, the team just found a new solution to secure the modules to the smartphone. According to the new tweets, the new method is better than the magnets Google initially planned to use, but it doesn't reveal just what exactly this new configuration implies. A #WorkingOnOurHumor hashtag accompanies the clarification that the failed drop test was in fact a joke.
BTW #FailedTheDropTest was a joke. Didn't fail. We have been configuring a new solution. It's better too. #WorkingOnOurHumor
— Project Ara (@ProjectAra) August 20, 2015
In addition, a couple of subsequent tweets from Project Ara further note that a better camera and improved battery life are also in the cards, but the team offers no other details on the matter.
Project Ara has stirred great hype worldwide so far and it continues to spark lots of interest, as it holds amazing potential for the future of smartphones. The futuristic handset could be ready to make an official debut in 2016, likely hitting the U.S. market first.
