The “Apple Effect”: Are 3D Printers Becoming Lifestyle Products?
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For most of its history, desktop 3D printing has been a technology business. Companies competed on speed, accuracy, build volume, temperature, materials and reliability. Buyers compared specifications because the machines were mainly bought by makers, engineers, designers and other technical users. But that is starting to change.
Desktop 3D printers are getting easier to use, and more people are buying them. Automatic setup, enclosed machines, multi-color printing, cameras and better software have made 3D printing much simpler. Users spend less time setting up and fixing their machines and more time making what they want. As this happens, companies are also starting to compete in new ways.
Of course, technical performance still matters, and a lot. But as products become easier to use, other things start to matter too, like design, software, brand, community, and how people feel about a product.
Featured image courtesy of 3DPrint.com
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