{"id":1503,"date":"2014-01-08T11:23:02","date_gmt":"2014-01-08T17:23:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thechristys.net\/?p=1503"},"modified":"2016-07-20T11:09:24","modified_gmt":"2016-07-20T16:09:24","slug":"ces-3d-printing-part-4","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/thechristys.net\/?p=1503","title":{"rendered":"CES 3D Printing (part 4)"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Rep1\"<\/a>Today we are going to talk about one of those trends that could really change how things are done in our world \u2013 3D printing.\u00a0 You can\u2019t really draw a good picture of exactly how<\/em> it will change the world because if a technology is truly disruptive it creates so many changes so fast that it is impossible to anticipate what is going to happen.\u00a0 If you talked to someone who was really excited and knowledgeable about the internet when it first started and asked them why it\u2019s such a big deal or what will we be able to do with it?\u00a0 Their answers today would seem vague and very short sighted.\u00a0 They might say \u201c it would allow computers to talk directly with each other\u201d\u00a0 or \u201cyou could send a message from New York to Los Angeles and one time it could go through Chicago and the next time through Houston and it would do it automatically!\u201d\"MakerBot<\/p>\n

These things are true of course but no one today would describe it that way. Something like facebook was absolutely impossible for those people to see from where they were standing.\u00a0 BUT if you were to go back in time and tell them about it they would have no problem believing you because they KNEW<\/em> this thing called the internet was gong to change everything.\u00a0 Some people think that way about 3D printing.\u00a0 3D printing examples and demos aren’t up to the task of communicating the potential of 3D printing and what it means to us.\u00a0 But the light bulb has gone off and they think something<\/em> big is going to happen.\u00a0 There have been other technologies with devout armwavers that never panned out, but I think this is the real thing.<\/p>\n

Makerbot is perhaps the industry leader in the consumer 3D printing market.\u00a0 One of the things that makes them unique is they are extremely open with information and hardware\/software design.\u00a0 They leverage their users to help with development and support of their product.\u00a0 They have a loyal following.\u00a0 At CES this year they use the Goldilocks product strategy introducing 3 models of their third generation Replicator.\u00a0 They have come a long way from the 1st generation mad of wood that you put together yourself.\u00a0 They also have a scanner that lets you copy an object with your 3D printer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Of course Makerbot has plenty of competition.\u00a0 In the early phase of a technology the rate of change is extreme.\u00a0 Makerbot\u2019s competitors will make printers and scanners that will be cheaper, faster, bigger . . . you get the idea, than the Makerbot offering but Makerbot has an ace up it\u2019s sleeve that will give it a major advantage.\u00a0 Everyone who buys a printer, no matter the brand wants to print something \u2013 now.\u00a0 I can hear some of you now, \u201cwell duhhhhh\u201d\u00a0 It is complicated and time consuming to create your own model from scratch and most consumers won\u2019t have a scanner when they buy their first printer.\u00a0 Wouldn\u2019t it be great if there was a web site that had tons of things your could print ready to go.\u00a0 Some would be free and some might cost a buck.\u00a0 Sounds like your app store right??\u00a0 And of course it\u2019s also a community with people asking question, bragging about the mods and upgrades and just supplying a lot of good information in general.\u00a0 Well you are in luck, there is THINGIVERSE.COM<\/a>.\u00a0 Want to make a chess set?\u00a0 Get the models to print at thingiverse and the models don\u2019t just work with Makerbot\u2019s equipment.\u00a0 In the future their model marketplace could be more valuable then their hardware business.<\/p>\n

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And for our fun gadget of the day, how about<\/p>\n

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ear buds that monitor your heart rate and adjust your music to match it to help keep your pace?\u00a0 It\u2019s a technology demo at Intel.\u00a0 Pretty cool right?<\/p>\n

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Gratuitous \u201cTech Video\u201d<\/p>\n

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