After piloting the sale of Replicator 2 printers in three Microsoft retail stores located in the western United States, the 3D printer company MakerBot will begin selling its 3D printers in Microsoft stores across the U.S., providing live demonstrations to allow customers to personally experience 3D printing.
In addition to the original pilot stores in San Francisco, Seattle, and Palo Alto, MakerBot printers will also be available in Microsoft stores in fifteen other regions.
"We've seen tremendous interest and enthusiasm for our products in the initial three 'MakerBot Experience' stores," said Bre Pettis, CEO of MakerBot. "Adding fifteen Microsoft stores to this project will strengthen our mission to bring 3D printing to more people."
The Replicator product line from MakerBot includes several popular consumer 3D printers. The fourth-generation product, the Replicator 2, is currently available on Microsoft's official website, with a bundled MakerBot service package priced at $2,549 — consistent with the price when purchased directly from MakerBot.
This isn't Microsoft's first foray into the 3D printing industry. At the BUILD developer conference in June, the company announced the built-in 3D printer driver program for the Windows 8.1 system. Introducing 3D printers into their own stores can be seen as a step towards the mainstream market for 3D printing, though convincing people to buy a 3D printer alongside a Windows laptop or an Xbox gaming console won't be easy. However, this move serves as a great way to promote the capabilities of their operating system.
"3D printing is a major technological innovation, and we want all our customers to have hands-on experiences to understand how to use these products and how they can benefit from them in their daily lives," said David McAughan, Chief Operating Officer of Microsoft Retail Stores.