Interesting 3D printing news

[ffutures]

Spotted by sbisson - Nokia have decided to help people who want to use 3D printing to make cases for their new phones:

http://conversations.nokia.com/2013/01/18/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-lumia-820-and-3d-printing/

Of course this implies that you've bought one of their phones first, which is obviously in their interest, but it's surprising how many other companies don't seem to realise that the after-market implies purchasing their goods first. Of course in a lot of cases - e.g. inkjet printers - the after-market is where nearly all the money is made, and the original item is a loss leader, but that isn't always the case.

Let's hope that others follow this example - it would make a lot of sense for expensive goods that people like to personalise such as phones, MP3 players, ebook readers, laptop casings, etc.

Comments

[major-clanger.livejournal.com]

Interesting - it may be that Nokia have accepted that they can't stop people from doing this because of provisions in UK and EU design law that are intended to ensure a legitimate market for accessories. (There was actually a case about mobile phone covers that settled this specific point back in 1996.) Ironically the more mobile phones converge on iPhone-type design, the harder it is to show that aspects of a phone's design are distinctive and original.

[ffutures.livejournal.com]

I thought this would interest you - it's the sort of thing that might hasten the production of a real mass-market 3D printer of some sort.