14 DAY TRIAL // 3D printing technology isn't a field that just any company can enter, especially since it's got nothing to do with paper printing save in name, but that isn't stopping HP from making an inroad.
Hewlett-Packard Chief Executive Officer Meg Whitman has just said that her company will make an important announcement in June about the 3D printing industry.
We can only assume, from that, that the corporation will try to offer something like MakerBot and Stratasys, though it's unclear if there will be one or more than one 3D printer up for sale from the start.
HP is one of those companies that likes to have a slice of every pie, much like Samsung and Sony do with the display, PC, gaming and other hardware markets.
And since HP is one of the biggest tech giants in the world, it definitely can't be lacking in capital, so with some nice purchases, it should be able to secure patent licenses, facilities and employees capable of designing and mass-producing 3D printers.
Unfortunately, Meg Whitman did not elaborate on HP's plans, not even to give an idea of how many products were coming, or if the news was more about a partnership or not.
Maybe HP won't release a 3D printer immediately, instead forming a pact with established experts like MakerBot and Stratasys.
It would, if nothing else, be in line with the statement made by CTO Martin Fink back in February, about the company intending to begin work in the space later this year.
Back then, HP was only exploring the “many possibilities” that existed in the 3D printing market space, rapidly growing as it was.
One possibility is that HP won't even enter the consumer front, focusing, instead, on the enterprise market. The corporation does, after all, seem to be drifting in that direction on all layers of its business. If so, Stratasys will probably be its main contender. Unless a pact is made, as we’ve said.
Or maybe HP will begin to use 3D printing technology in its operations, to make various things for its own use in factories or whatnot.
Eventually, we have no doubts that both will be true, but for now, it can go in any one of multiple directions. HP probably knows it too, which is why it is leaving the matter in mystery. It will surely raise hype as well as any understated marketing campaign would.