When Motorola announced the Moto Maker tool for Moto X, many wondered if it would be an exclusive arrangement for the phone or whether it will be rolled out for future devices as well. It made sense for Motorola to capitalise on the publicity wave of the customisation aspect of the Moto X.

Project Ara

Soon after, the company announced Project Ara, an open-source initiative that will potentially allow consumers to build their own smartphone based on a modular platform. It was ambitious to say the least and tugged at a popular sentiment within the smartphone user base: that of bringing a completely customisable phone to the market. While Woodside revealed that a prototype Ara phone is ready, there’s no definite timeline on when a market-ready Ara phone will be unveiled.

How about customisable hardware options?

Motorola believes though that this is about bringing consumers into the fold. CEO Dennis Woodside told YouTube reviewer and personality Marques Brownlee in a Hangout that Moto Maker was just the beginning of a long-term project. "Ara is much further out, but you can see how those two things tie together, and how as we introduce new materials into Moto Maker we're gonna pursue that theme across our product line going forward." Check out the whole interview: While the prospect of a completely customisable smartphone is tantalising, the lack of clear details does not fill us with confidence. The presence of a prototype notwithstanding, Ara is very much in the concept category at the moment.