Retroplayer wrote:ggunners wrote:We should hope for more, but in these price ranges, everybody is straining with supply, demand, customer service, inventory and who knows what other issues.
I realize this will seem callous, but as consumers, that is really not our problem. It is theirs. If they are incapable of doing what they say they will do for the money we pay, then they should find a different schtick. This is not a charity, it is a business.
And $1000-1200 is middle range, not low end. But you get a low end quality printer for that $1000. There were many cheaper options at the time, but I chose to pay more, expecting more.
It is clear that getting these new printers right is going to be crucial to Solidoodle's survival. If they can't, they are likely going to go the way of many 3D printer companies before them. And it is for that reason that is in their best interest to listen to the complaints of its users.
The expectations for a 3D printer company are quite brutal for a small company. People expect high levels of engineering (both software and hardware), support, and customer service. If I were to start my own hardware company, I would start a custom shop doing very small volumes of work for higher paying customers. I feel for a small company, that is much more realistic to manage.
For instance, I love the guys who make the pwnie express. It's a great gadget, but I know it was hacked together in small volumes. I do not expect them to have enterprise level tech support. I do not expect Apple level over engineering of the physical product. I expect a little gadget that *might work* to do my *very niche* task. I am fully prepared to solder on the thing to make it behave. I am not surprised if I have to e-mail the company about the product. That is the nature of such a gadget.
You know how many Rasberry Pis are straight out of the box duds?
When it comes to 3D printers, it reminds me of the situation of small companies trying to make smart phones. While the individual parts of a smart phone are certainly within reach to procure and assemble on a "crowdfunding" budget, the bigger picture dictates much more funding. Many smart phone manufacturers exist on very thin margins.
That's why Ubuntu wouldn't even start selling their phone without $32 million or so of funding. Yes, they could have made them, but they would have been strangled by the ongoing costs of doing that business. They needed that much money to *burn through* before even expecting a profit.
This is compounded by the fact that the Ubuntu phone was still for a very niche product, despite being in a well trodden area of the hardware market. Can you imagine how much money Amazon spent to get the fire phone going? Do You imagine they are making a profit on it?
I can't think of any company besides Makerbot that has enjoyed support on that level. I do not envy the position Solidoodle, or just about every other 3D printer company is in. As I said, the expectations are quite brutal. This does not excuse anyone of responsibility, but I wouldn't ask to be in their shoes. Many "maker" companies need to better manage expectations, and create more realistic P.R, but they are still human beings. I'd hate to be living under those expectations.
Former Solidoodle employee, no longer associated with the company.
