Comments update: following the news that Google has scrapped its ambitious Project Ara, readers have been debating whether modular smartphones will ever be commercially viable.
Forget Ara: Google is scrapping its interchangeable smartphone, less than six months after promising consumer editions by 2017. Some readers were left disappointed, but others were completely unsurprised.
"Duh! This was a no-no from the start," wrote a user called R. "Name me one example of any consumer product where this kind of modularity works."
Kobi agreed, calling it "one of those idealistic, feel-good, utopian projects aimed at a world we don't live in."
"This was never going to scale up to make revenue, it was a designer's dream," said regular commenter Kay. "I'm surprised it got as far as it did," added John. "It's a great concept, but nobody was actually going to be replacing parts."
How do you feel about Project Ara being scrapped" Tell us in the comments section »

MasterCard's new branding by Pentagram
Priceless: the growing trend for flat design was a hot topic this week after we featured seven of the best Minimalist rebrands. But are the new incarnations an improvement"
"I would never expect a behemoth like MasterCard to select anything but the most banal design and they have succeeded," wrote Nick, referencing the first project on the list.
"MasterCard simply went back to their roots,"...