haha, here is recent news on Apple 3d printer front. I jest about it (as i know many will) but i can only hope that by apple becoming involved (regardless of how poor it may be/how it is done) it could be beneficial to the propagation of this tech to the mainstream.....
i will hold my breath.....
http://www.cultofmac.com/400356/apple-may-be-working-on-a-multicolor-3d-printer/
great, now they can 3d print usb port hubs
Now they will sue maker studios and the other companies for preemptively stealing their idea.
yea, but it's understandable, maker clearly copied the shape of their nozzle.
it's official, 3D printers are real.
Johnny Ive could make it sound like he designed the first pencil sooo...
To be fair I think this a good thing.
If apple were to release a 3D printer, other big companies would probably also follow in their footsteps, ultimately bringing down the prices of 3D printers.
If you know a thing or two about 3D printers, you will know that they are not always "plug-and-play", but I guarantee Apple's solution will be.
Will it be cheap?
No
Will it be innovative?
Probably not
Will it be easy to use?
Defiantly
Oooo and I bet it will use apple certified filament as well! Only $89 for a strand, what a steal!
Haha, revolutionary. I doubt it's going to be a real product though, Apple's customers aren't exactly the maker types. The average apple-user would rather buy injection-moulded trinkets than make lower-quality ones with a printer.
This is more likely an attempt to patent rounded corners again in the event that color-printing becomes more ubiquitous. Any sane person reviewing the patent application would reject it, but you never know. I can't imagine Stratasys would allow that to happen.
I think this is a good thing for 3D printing if it were to happen.
As much as everyone here loves to hate apple, They are great at bringing technology together and have the capital to produce well polished products which is what 3D printing needs. Polish.
This might just be the thing that 3D printing need to define the standard in quality and bring it to the people.
That's definitely a good way to look at it. It would make 3d printers more accessible. It would also make it affordable for Hispanic peasants like me in the near future.
Some of the first responses here, 10/10. Would read again.
yes but you forget two crucial factors.
1. It's made by apple.
2. Their consumer base are, for the most part, a cult.
I am confused. The Apple cult don't tdo hands on. The mantra was "It just works" they are not ones for taking a screwdriver to their phones, tablets and PCs. They on the whole don't code, they are not people who get into nitty gritty of the reality of product design or the steps to get there.
Who is this aimed at? Apple have spent decades building the "you don't need to think, we will for you" mentality into them. So I can't imagine there will be fanfare in the streets or record breaking queues around the oxford street shop for these.
you miss my/the point completely.
I do? Explain.
For my point of view a 3d printer is something you need to be somewhat technically minded to set up, program and then operate. Tarring Apples user with one brush, they are not typically into that sort of thing.
I under stand the other side that Apple have a reputation for making solid, plug and play devices that just work and it will be interesting to see if they will make a box that can be bought and with almost no extra messing around just work. That would be cool, but it will also likely be proprietary out the wazoo and only work with Mac hardware and Software. That would make it useless to anyone but a Mac user which alluded to above really does not seem like the best target market for this.
But what am I missing?
ok;
firstly, think what itunes/app store did for music/apps except in context of 3d printers. you need no skill what so ever if it is closed, ubiquitous technology that is easily accessible. this is easily achievable when the product is all the things you mentioned. think of paying 5 dollars to print a trademarked iphone case design... apple has eliminated their distribution/labor/supply chain etc etc and now delivers the product into your home via an app store where you must pay for the materials to purchase it as well as transport of those goods (which they will most likely expand/horizontal intergration into) meaning that it brings down their costs and potentially increases their income.
i seriously think you underestimate the potential ramifications this could have if done well and effectively, especially when combined with apple fanaticism/cult base.... especially when there is a MASSIVE financial incentive to do so.
Secondly, my other reference to apple fans/cults is that, even if what you say were true, it is irrelevant because they would be purchased purely because they are apple products, look at apple watches, they did shit, but still had a large amount purchased (which will likely increase over the next generations mind you), especially in relation to other brands, and imo that was a loss leading project to eliminate competition/grab market share for any future advances as opposed to making a product that would sell like th ipod/phone straight away.
third thing you are missing is that this post was halfhearted and in jest with the only comment being that it could potentially bring the tech into the mainstream injecting serious cashflow/innovation/competition into the future potential of this tech.
Edit: essentially you make the mistake of imaging the tech/progress as a static process..... it is not...
I understand the ramification you mention, I just think this is woefully misaimed.
All of the things you said are true but I wonder if they will come true. And even in slight jest I saw that as I generalised the mass population of iDevice users are not exactly technically minded. I know a lot of them are, but in jest and to put it into perspective using your own example, they bought apple watches! These people are not smart on the whole, so I think even a plug and play box of magic that apple are so good at selling will not take off in the market as this unlike the watch require user input, maintenance and observation all the time.
They may blindly buy the printer but they cannot be used blindly and that us where I figure the down fall is. The advancements will undoubtedly be there if this makes it to market, new material, new software, new store, new hardware and new ideas about how to pull it all off which will benefit a great number of other makers and printers but I just cannot see it with in the walled garden of the mind that apple have effectively convinced vast swaths of the population is a good thing. They have created an ecosystem of near blind stupidity where you don't have to think or watch or monitor for faults. Printer require all three and that is the failure point in my mind.
We will see but I don't see this being anything note than another apple watch. Fanfare and then never heard from ever again.
3d printing is probably the biggest paper mache technology out there right next to cloud computing for the masses and secure skype.
in its current states yes, but i see it is being the beginning of things to come, not the end result in its current state.