Close
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Video
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Video
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Latest News
    • PC Hardware

    MakerBot 3D Printers to Invade More Microsoft Stores

    Written by

    Pedro Hernandez
    Published August 9, 2013
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      eWEEK content and product recommendations are editorially independent. We may make money when you click on links to our partners. Learn More.

      Once limited to some select Microsoft retail locations on the West Coast, the “MakerBot Experience” is going nationwide, announced the mammoth software company and Brooklyn-based 3D printer maker MakerBot.

      Throughout the summer, Microsoft and MakerBot are installing Replicator 2 Desktop 3D Printers at an additional 15 Microsoft Stores across the U.S., allowing more visitors to get some in-person, hands-on experience with the devices, which can churn out plastic objects based on 3D data.

      Locations include Lenox Square in Atlanta; the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minn.; and Houston Galleria in Texas. Apart from the MakerBot store in New York City, Microsoft brick-and-mortar stores are the only locations “where you can purchase a MakerBot Replicator 2 Desktop 3D Printer in person and take it home the same day,” announced MakerBot on its blog.

      Under the expanded program, shoppers can participate in product demonstrations featuring MakerBot’s Replicator 2 and the company’s durable PLA Filament, the material building block of 3D printed objects produced by the device. Priced at $2,199, Replicator 2 drew huge crowds at this year’s CeBIT conference in Hannover, Germany. The 3D printer can create objects as large as 11.2 inches by 6 by 6.1 inches.

      After proving popular at a handful of stores, bringing the experience to more stores was the next logical step, according to MakerBot CEO Bre Pettis.

      “We’ve seen tremendous interest and enthusiasm at the three initial ‘MakerBot Experience’ stores. Rolling the program out to 15 additional Microsoft Stores supercharges our mission to bring 3D printing to more people,” said Pettis in a statement.

      Echoing the sentiment, David McAughan, chief operating officer for Microsoft retail stores, added that the move will help consumers dip their toes into the burgeoning 3D printing ecosystem. “3D printing is a significant technological innovation, and we want all our customers to experience it first-hand, to learn how they can use and benefit from it in their own lives,” he stated in company remarks.

      Microsoft’s retail division isn’t the only business unit working to popularize 3D printing. The Windows team is also lending a hand.

      The upcoming Windows 8.1 update will include built-in 3D file format recognition, plug-and-play support for printers, and hooks for applications to initiate 3D print jobs. “What we’ve done in Windows 8.1 is we’ve made this pipeline that the hardware manufactures plug in their drivers, and software manufactures can plug into things like the file-print dialogs that we’re all familiar with to print documents,” Microsoft’s Shanen Boettcher, general manager of the Startup Business Group, said in a recent company video.

      In a separate June 26 blog post, Boettcher said that creating “a 3D object on your PC will be as easy as writing a document in Word and sending it to print. Just as desktop publishing transformed how we write, we think desktop manufacturing will transform how we create.”

      It’s also an opportunity to gain an early foothold in a growing market. He added that “some market analysts predict that the global 3D printing market will reach $3.1 billion by 2016.”

      Pedro Hernandez
      Pedro Hernandez
      Pedro Hernandez is a writer for eWEEK and the IT Business Edge Network, the network for technology professionals. Previously, he served as a managing editor for the Internet.com network of IT-related websites and as the Green IT curator for GigaOM Pro.

      Get the Free Newsletter!

      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis

      Get the Free Newsletter!

      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Artificial Intelligence

      9 Best AI 3D Generators You Need...

      Sam Rinko - June 25, 2024 0
      AI 3D Generators are powerful tools for many different industries. Discover the best AI 3D Generators, and learn which is best for your specific use case.
      Read more
      Cloud

      RingCentral Expands Its Collaboration Platform

      Zeus Kerravala - November 22, 2023 0
      RingCentral adds AI-enabled contact center and hybrid event products to its suite of collaboration services.
      Read more
      Artificial Intelligence

      8 Best AI Data Analytics Software &...

      Aminu Abdullahi - January 18, 2024 0
      Learn the top AI data analytics software to use. Compare AI data analytics solutions & features to make the best choice for your business.
      Read more
      Latest News

      Zeus Kerravala on Networking: Multicloud, 5G, and...

      James Maguire - December 16, 2022 0
      I spoke with Zeus Kerravala, industry analyst at ZK Research, about the rapid changes in enterprise networking, as tech advances and digital transformation prompt...
      Read more
      Video

      Datadog President Amit Agarwal on Trends in...

      James Maguire - November 11, 2022 0
      I spoke with Amit Agarwal, President of Datadog, about infrastructure observability, from current trends to key challenges to the future of this rapidly growing...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2024 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×