You might have noticed I’m obsessed with the potential of 3D Printers. Back in August 2011, I broke a personal rule about putting times on predictions, and wrote ‘2012 – the year of 3D Printing‘, which proved a popular point of view and has since been echoed by a number of other sites, including some mainstream tech blogs. And I followed it up earlier this year with some examples of progress for 3D Printing, but things have been happening so fast, it’s tricky to cover everything without being able to devote all my time to the subject.
But it’s worth noting another major milestone. In addition to a new Makerbot and a Wired cover story, Makerbot Industries is also opening its first retail location in Manhattan. (via GigaOm).
Massive step for 3D Printing:
If this is handled right, it’s a massive step for 3D Printing. It’s something that’s incredibly hard to explain without someone seeing it for themselves, and now people can actually start going and seeing these amazing devices in action.
And importantly, this is somewhere non-geeks and techies can stumble across 3D printing and it can start reaching a broader audience.
With three months left in 2012, I’m thinking that if my timing was slightly out, it’ll have been by months rather than years!
You’ll be delighted to know there was a buzz around 3D printers at http://www.100percentdesign.co.uk/ yesterday – with the thinking being that every home will have one in the next 10 years to print off everything from widgets to a new fridge door. Other things to look out for include developments in glass technology so medical mirrors can operate in tandem with things like http://jawbone.com/up to increase wellness as well as serving as screens for entertainment and social media.