My Thoughts on Technology and Jamaica: US$300 M3D Micro 3D Printer for the Masses coming in March 2015 – HP may rise to challenge this Kickstarter to the Iron 3D Printing Throne

Thursday, April 24, 2014

US$300 M3D Micro 3D Printer for the Masses coming in March 2015 – HP may rise to challenge this Kickstarter to the Iron 3D Printing Throne

“We're really excited [about] the amount of buzz The Micro has created, and we want to assure you we are hunkering down and focusing on delivering back rewards for the next several months”

M3D Micro 3D Printer commenting on the record level of funding for their US$300 M3D Micro 3D Printer

These days HP (Hewlett Packard), the once and former great Printer Baron, is now known as a dabbler in Google.

But now it seems they may have to start looking back at Printers, specifically 3D Printers based on the meteoric rise of the Kickstarter success story, the US$300 M3D Micro 3D Printer as described in “$300 Micro 3D Printer Earns Big on Kickstarter”, published APRIL 7, 2014 12:13PM EST BY STEPHANIE MLOT,  PcMag and “A $200 3D printer? Meet the Micro”, published April 7, 2014 11:25 AM PDT, by Amanda Kooser, CNET News,

The details can be found on their M3D Micro 3D Printer Kickstarter page an it makes quite an interesting read and details on specs, if you interested in that sort of thing. My eyes are firmly fixed on the price, which if it holds, then by March 2015 just about anyone can buy a 3D Printer!


Interestingly, the Makerbot Replicator, which had made its debut some two (2) years prior at CES (Computer Electronics Show) 2012 as stated in my blog article entitled “MakerBot 3D Replicator Printer debuts at CES 2012 - Evanescence Brings Star Trek to Life” is still priced like a product for early-adopters at US$1,375, thus making the US$300 M3D Micro 3D Printer truly the 3D Printer for the Masses.

In less than 24 hours after their Kickstarter campaign went live on Monday April 7th 2014, the Team of 6’s US$50,000 goal has been obliterated with a mark of US$$330,000 from 1,300 backers.

By Tuesday April 8th, they’d hit settling at US$1 million as stated in “The Micro 3D printer tops $1M on Kickstarter in one day”, published April 8, 2014 8:43 PM PDT by Dara Kerr, CNET News. By Thursday April 10th 2014, they’d hit US$2.3 million ponied up by 8,000 backers as stated in “Micro 3D Printer tops $2M on Kickstarter”, published APRIL 11, 2014 12:05PM EST BY STEPHANIE MLOT, PCMag.


Phenomenal support that surprised even the Maryland-based company, quote: “We're really excited [about] the amount of buzz The Micro has created, and we want to assure you we are hunkering down and focusing on delivering back rewards for the next several months”.

Excited indeed, as with their Kickstarter Project closing on Wednesday May 17th 2014, they’ve got more than enough money to fulfill their backers, now shooting past 8000 and Growing Strong.

M3D Micro 3D Printer for the Masses – HP may rise to challenge this Usurper to the Iron Printing Throne

So where HP (Hewlett-Packard) in all of this?

With this much buzz about a US$300 Printer when Laser Inkjet Printers are available for as little as US$45, the Buzz may attract the wary eye of HP, as this might provide for them an opportunity to get back into the Printing game that the Apple iPad killed as pointed out in my Geezam blog article entitled “How the Apple iPad killed Ultrabooks, Printing and the Mouse as the World Rediscovers Tablets”.

Having launched the US$479 HP Slatebook x2, a tablet/Laptop Hybrid in the style of the Asus Transformer running Google Chrome as explained in my blog article entitled “Hewlett Packard debuts US$479 HP Slatebook x2 in August 2013 - HP has stopped living in The Spectacular Now and accepts Tablets have killed Printers”, they’ve seemed to getting more serious about Google Chrome OS as well.


It’s thus not inconceivable that a big Printer maker like HP won’t eventually answer this challenge with a low-end 3D Printer of their own, bread-and-butter for the masses, as the challenge that the US$300 M3D Micro 3D Printer poses is very 3D Real. Until then, the faithful 8000+ backers await the morning of Wednesday May 17th 2014, when their support gets a final tally.

Rest assured, it’s going to be one of the greatest Kickstarter campaigns of all time. Here’s the link:

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