Relay Google lenovo mobile betting on modular

Zhao Chen ting

[lenovo this a modular mobile MOTOZ is through 16 on the metal contact to many specific additional functional modules: the intelligent module includes the magic eye in China - the hasselblad camera module and the sound - JBL speaker module, the spectre - projection module, electrical and battery module and demons that van back shell module.]

In Google announced the suspension of modular cell phone ProjectAra project a few days later, lenovo launched a modular cell phone MOTOZ.

MOTOZ by lenovo group (5.45, 0.06, 1.09%), President and chief executive officer Yang yuanqing as lenovo's purchase of MOTO since the most representative of a product. "First financial daily" the reporter understands, modular cell phone MOTOZ is the highest lenovo internal importance of mobile phone, lenovo internal fluctuation will dedicate to promote.

Look from principle, lenovo modular mobile MOTOZ this time is through 16 on the metal contact to many specific additional functional modules: the intelligent module includes the magic eye in China - the hasselblad camera module and the sound - JBL speaker module, the spectre - projection module and the electrical and battery module and the van back shell module.

In the mobile phone industry is becoming saturated, modular cell phone can lenovo "fight" a road?

Try hard water

Mr Yang will be the modular mobile MOTOZ as a "killer app" competition in the industry.

"Because it is not only a new ecological building hardware, even brings new application services, and cloud... so this is the real innovation of ecological construction, is the black science and technology, I believe that after we published a year to a year and a half time, competitors and will not make similar products." Mr Yang said.

Both Google and lenovo try modular cell phones, are related to MOTOROLA.

Public information display, Ara is Google originally ATAP (AdvancedTechnologyandProjects) department of a project. Originally belonging to MOTOROLA's mobile phone, then the lenovo's purchase of MOTOROLA, Ara is in Google family as independent project.

In the original idea, Ara smartphones by a "data bus" (databus) as the basic composition, is similar to Yu Legao blocks, consumers are free to choose any components, replace, or even remove mobile phone, including processor, screen, memory, battery, etc., for the biggest advantage is that consumers can easily replace a failure or obsolete components.

With the current mobile phone manufacturers are doing their best to improve the integration of mobile phone, compared to the practice of integration, ProjectAra is seen as a Google in inverse historical trend.

, just want to let consumers of mobile phone products have more autonomy, become their ProjectAra "product manager" phone is facing many difficulties, in addition to the exterior design level cannot assure, it is difficult to guarantee performance compatible with physical compatibility, Google and each big mobile phone manufacturer also failed to reach a standardized protocol.

Due to the product research and development and the difficulties encountered in the process of standardization, ProjectAra development progress has been repeatedly postponed. Google initially plan in 2015 in Puerto Rico to Ara phone launched pilot release, but the plan was postponed. In fact, in a long time, ProjectAra can even has come up with a foreign display can be normal use of the prototype.

In may of this year's Google I/O show the latest version of ProjectAra prototype, SoC, memory, screen and other core components into sealed design, Google will focus shifted to through modular design to provide differentiated function.

But in early September, Google announced or stop modular ProjectAra research and development of mobile phone. The reason behind is interpreted, usually within the Google project cycle is two years, beginning in 2013 ProjectAra development cycle has obviously too long. In China mobile phone league secretary-general wang, mobile platform update quickly, Ara plan it is hard to meet the market demand, but it is difficult to reach a certain sales costs also down, accessories manufacturers more reluctant to participate in.

However, Google may, by means of authorization to third party vendors to extend ProjectAra life.

Lenovo mobile vice President Chen did not comment directly on why Google out of modular cell phone plans, saying only that Google's modular mobile phone more than difficult to imagine, but MOTO modular cell phone from idea to reality experience is tough, really is not an easy thing.

turnaround

Lenovo's global innovation of science and technology conference in June (LenovoTechWorld2016) on lenovo has forecast the MOTO on modular cell phone technology.

And behind it, from the "commitment" Google "remarried" lenovo, as absolute pioneer of MOTOROLA's mobile phone market, after several twists and turns in the moment, because I haven't this product iterations too quickly find yourself a new mobile phone red sea market positioning.

Wang told reporters, the "first financial daily" Ara plan with LG and lenovo's modular concept phone, LG and lenovo's core hardware and display of photographic parts are not modular, even just for different parts to achieve the modular, market has a certain application in the industry, but also need to develop more attractive in the consuming market of functional modules, promotion is more difficult to achieve.

G5 released earlier this year, LG phones are also adopted the modular design concept, the module interface design, at the bottom of the fuselage can connect external speakers, picture handle, battery, etc.

"Now release modular cell phone for lenovo is actually a good point in time, now the overall mobile phone development into the bottleneck period, and the innovation of the modular cell phone has only just begun. The foreseeable future, many mobile phone manufacturers will do modular cell phone, but some have been issued, some still in research." Chen explained.

From the perspective of the pricing of lenovo announced the MOTOZ and a corresponding module price is not cheap. The MOTOZ bare-metal pricing close to 4000 yuan, and five modules price from 129 yuan to 2299 yuan.

"This is a new cell phone need to experience, the vast majority of the geek consumers need to offline experience personally, so will strengthen offline sales channels." Chen said.

Lenovo has promised future MOTO of two generations products will be based on the modular cell phone, in addition, lenovo will explore based on modular cell phone industry application.