Part 3 : Apple-branded Full-Frame and Medium-Format Cameras plus Super-fast 3D Printers and User-Friendly A.I.-assisted CAD/CAM/CAE/FEA Software Coming Soon!
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Metal Powder and Ceramic Powder printers will be coming one year later after the 3D plastic printers:
1) 200 mm by 200 mm by 200 mm multi-head metal and ceramic powder 3D printer ($4995 USD)
2) 400 mm by 400 mm by 400 mm multi-head metal and ceramic powder 3D printer ($9995 USD)
3) 800 mm by 800 mm by 800 mm multi-head metal and ceramic powder 3D printer ($24,995 USD)
4) 1500 mm by 1500 mm by 1500 mm multi-head metal and ceramic powder 3D printer ($49,995 USD)
These will be the most expensive products introduced by Apple yet BUT the actual costs when compared to current 3D printing systems is significantly cheaper and will be much faster printing due to recent Apple innovations in 16-head and 64-head pulsed-laser-based super-heated micro-droplet plastic, metal and ceramic powder deposition technology! The consumable prices were not disclosed to me other than saying that they would be competitive and will have a very affordable initial introduction price upon upon initial printer sale. (i.e. a big box of consumables is included with initial 3D printer purchase!)
The current estimate made internally by Apple itself of its anticipated 3D plastic and metal printing marketshare is a likely $200 Billion USD per year rising to $450 Billion per year when Apple-branded 3D printers and consumables for multi-color plastic and extended product line metal and ceramic powder sales are fully accounted for by home/office and commercial/industrial users!
In terms of a timeline, it could be as soon as this late year 2024 that some sort pre-announcement is made by Apple. My internal sources say that 3rd quarter 2025 is a possible official introduction date for the first two Apple-branded plastic powder super-fast 3D printers.
SPECIAL NOTES:
This is not the first time I had heard of rumours and leaks indicating that Apple employees were seen wearing 3D printed footwear with Apple logos on them BUT the real takeaway is that that Apple-branded footwear, figurines, model aircraft, working engines and other 3D prints were created SOLELY BY IN-HOUSE DESIGNED AND MADE Apple-branded 3D printers! The fact they were BRANDED with actual Apple logos indicates a sophisticated level of fit and finish indicating significant research and development progress! It also means Apple is getting READY to start the eventual public announcement and marketing onslaught of 3D printers and Apple-branded 2D/3D full frame and medium format cameras since they seem to believe the products and their related software actually ARE READY ENOUGH for public use!
Other rumours also specified these objects were scanned using Apple-branded full-frame and medium-format stereoscopic cameras that have built-in 3D depth scanning which will make it a lot easier to scan real world objects and both small and large real-world environments since the depth scanning system allows for recording depths-from-camera in millimetres, centimetres, metres and kilometres with decimal values (i.e. floating point values!). This variable depth-sensitivity is probably WHY it was noted that SONAR (sound), LIDAR (light) and RADAR (radio wave)-based scanning sensors are ALL included in the cameras! This lets small items and huge items and massive local environments be scanned in real-time pixel-by-pixel and frame-by-frame for video and still photos! The recording of GPS location (Latitude/Longitude/Elevation) and 3D-XYZ orientation metadata in degrees decimal is also used for VFX work and noting the rotation on all axes where the camera is so that AR/VR objects and local 3D environments can be accurately modelled, processed, filtered, composited and displayed in real-time!
I also note that the $795 price for a functional equivalent of a CATIA or NX level of CAD/CAM/CAE/FEA design and simulation software indicates that Apple thinks that enough current and future engineers, manufacturing companies and design newbies will have no issue spending $795 in order to get $100,000 worth of product development software. I think it's a smart idea! Giving it away would CHEAPEN the Apple brand BUT by specifying that you are getting the equivalent of a full hardware manufacturing design and modeling suite for ONLY $795 rather than spending $100,000+ USD for a full CATIA or NX suite WILL convince buyers to buy the Apple-branded 3D printers and the Apple-branded plastic, metal and ceramic powder consumables! It's a BRILLIANT concept! You get one copy free when you buy each Apple 3D printer but for group collaboration with multiple engineers, management, design employees, students, etc. means you can easily buy extra Apple software copies FOR ONLY $795 rather than the ridiculously expensive licence prices of CATIA or NX! If Apple REALLY wants to take marketshare, offer 30-days or 90-days free-to-test-out terms for the software and/or offer Student pricing such as $295 for a single-user licence. I also note that previous rumours did indicate that NO subscription fee would be charged for the design/simulation software! You buy it once and it's all yours!
If Apple does that type of pricing structure, it will OBLITERATE the marketshare of AutoCAD, Inventor-3D, CATIA, NX and other proprietary design and simulation software, especially if it's as easy to use as a Final Cut Pro and the App Playstore! Plus, by selling pre-made and end-user supplied printable and end-user modifiable design files in the App Store, it will create a MONSTER-SIZE market for 3D printable items. In fact I would Looooooove to buy the file for an Apple-logoed 3D printable running shoe that can be custom fitted for my own foot size!
I also see a huuuuuuge market for officially licenced 3D printable items from Star Wars, Marvel, DC and Disney character models supplied by the studios themselves that are ALLOWED to be modified by the end-user! I would personally WANT an official and ORIGINAL 3D file coming from Lucasfilm's Industrial Light & Magic itself of a Lightsabre or of Yoda or R2D2! Even Nike or Adidas can get in on the action by supplying OFFICIALLY LICENCED 3D printable running shoe or basketball shoe models for end-user download, modification and printing for a perfect fit! Just needs some proper indemnification legalese put into the download terms and conditions for each 3D model! My own custom-sized-and-3D-printed-by-me Air Jordan-23's would be a godsend for the consumer marketplace!
Apple and the 3D model suppliers would make a fortune from the 3D model App Store and end-users get what they want --- aka properly licenced, properly curated and safety-vetted end-user-customizable 3D printable end-products! What's not to like about that?! I also understand from earlier sources that Apple wants to control the ENTIRE pipeline from Image and 3D-model Acquisition to Post Production (i.e. Final Cut Pro and Apple CAD/CAM/CAE/FEA/Simulation software) to end user-sales (App Store, Apple TV, Web Streaming and Apple Vision Pro AR/VR apps).
It looks like to me that Apple wants to emulate Disney and Comcast which make and control ENTIRE production pipelines and end-user consumption environments! I fact, I wouldn't put it past Apple to start even thinking about BUYING ALL OF DISNEY to get its hands on all sort of product IP and end-user destinations that can be rebranded and/or otherwise changed into Apple productization pipelines! If I was Apple management, I would SERIOUSLY THINK ABOUT buying ALL of Disney in order to get theme park access for selling Apple products, get animated and real-world character IP to sell 2D/3D static and interactive imagery plus 3D printable models AND get access to production pipelines and production studios that get new types of multimedia made and watched on Apple-branded hardware and software systems!
I really do think the Apple Vision Pro system is the harbinger of an entirely NEW pipeline of Apple multimedia hardware, software and media production companies that will give end-users a locked-in but SAFE AND WELL-CURATED cornucopia of Apple-branded systems and media! Apple-branded 3D printers, 2D/3D cameras and new media production and hardware design/simulation software WILL bring about that "All-Apple, All-The-Time" type of world that Disney started first! Is it good for society in general? Who knows?! All I know is that it looks like Apple-based 2D/3D cinema-quality cameras and Apple-based 3D printing and the related design/simulation software ARE coming sooner rather than later! I'm eager to take a look and maybe take a gander at buying one of those cameras and 3D printers for myself!
We shall see!
We also live in VERY interesting times!
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