“If you view the mass adoption of 3D printing as an inevitability – whether it be through people all owning their own 3D printers or, more likely, paying by usage at a local 3D-printing store – then it follows that many more people will start ripping out and replacing static components of various devices, such as smartphones. If that happens, then many less skilled practitioners of the art will start messing up said devices with parts that just don’t fit as well as they should. Nokia’s 3DK release should reduce that risk for customizers of Lumia 820 phone shells, making it more likely that they will remain satisfied with the overall product experience. It’s like releasing a solid SDK, only for hardware, and it’s a smart move on many levels.”
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David Meyer at GigaOM about the release of 3D templates, case specs, recommended materials and best practices related to the Lumia 820 phone shell.
Why do I blog this? Although I don’t necessary buy the “3D printing as an inevitability” argument, I’m intrigued by the consequences of such move by Nokia. Will users follow the best practices? Will there be any weird repurposing? Is that a weak signal of something that will be more general? I’m frankly not sure everyone will/can do it but it’s curious to think of “amateurs” trying things (as “choosing something on Thingiverse and modifying it a little bit”).
(Source: gigaom.com)
