Project Ara ditches magnetic attachment system

Thing's aren't looking so great for Project Ara, with the recent announcement that it won't be launching this years' pilot project; and now we get to know some of the decisions behind it: such as the need to go back to square one in one of the most important aspects of these devices: the module attachment system.

A tweet stated that Ara won't be using the magnetic attachment system because it simply can't ensure the device will remain whole should you drop it on the floor. You can think of it as the old cellphone with its cover and battery being projected around... times a dozen pieces.

I'm not sure if the most worrying bit is noticing that all the people involved in the project only now noticed such a thing (when it should be about to enter its pilot phase); or if they don't seem to have a clue on alternative ways to do it - and to consider that any attachment system that must survive a fall certainly won't be as handy to use as the magnetic system we hoped to have.

I, for once, am torn about it. I certainly would like to have the easy to use magnetic attachment system, and I think a lot of Project Ara fans out there will feel the same way. After all, smartphones aren't meant to be dropped, right? But on the other hand, I can imagine people - myself included - would quickly change their minds if they dropped it on the street and found that their costly camera module had been projected into the middle of the street and overrun by a car, or simply stepped over by someone passing by.