Apr 13, 2016 | By Alec
If you’ve ever been shopping around for a 3D printer online, chances are you’ve found yourself on the websites of some resellers. Depending on where you live, it’s just a simple fact that not every 3D printer manufacturer will be selling their products near you. If that’s the case, a reseller can sometimes provide an excellent solution. Of course not all resellers are backed by excellent customer reviews, but Dutch 3D printing innovators Ultimaker have managed find a reseller in one of the most respected electronics companies in the world. The Apple webstores for 19 different European countries will now be selling Ultimaker’s current flagship 3D printer, the Ultimaker 2+.
Over the past few months, this reselling deal has been spreading out over Apple webstores throughout Europe, and is currently available in nineteen different countries: The UK, Ireland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Austria, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Italy, Switzerland, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Hungary and the Czech Republic. Most of those countries were home to an Ultimaker reseller already, but obviously none can compete with Apple in terms of brand recognition.
Ultimaker, of course, is one of the two most recognizable desktop 3D printer manufacturers in the world, alongside MakerBot. The Dutch 3D printer specialists are especially successful in Europe, where they are the premier 3D printer manufacturer. They owe their success to a variety of reasons, including their strong links to the RepRap community (from which it originated), their dedication to open source principles, and obviously their excellent products. But Ultimaker also knows a thing or two about clever marketing. Just last month, they teamed up with Dutch postal services PostNL to deliver an active 3D printer without ruining the print.
This deal with Apple is definitely also a marketing achievement, as it’s a rare honor for electronics developers to be incorporated into Apple’s product line. Apple’s decision to team up with Ultimaker is quite interesting as well as they have several 3D printing patents already, but have never actually stepped into the industry. Perhaps a sign of things to come?
But for now the Ultimaker 2+ is the only 3D printer backed by Apple. In their webstores, they are currently selling this Ultimaker 3D printer with a price tag of € 2,299.00 (depending on what currency your country uses). An improved version of the award winning Ultimaker 2, it is currently one of the best desktop models around, with a build place of 223×223×205 mm, print speeds of up to 300 mm/s, interchangeable nozzles and a resolution of down to 20 microns.
Strangely, however, this deal isn’t exactly showcased on the Apple website. Ultimaker’s 3D printer can be found at the bottom of the “Printer/Scanner” section in their webstores, next to Ultimaker PLA filament in three colors (silver, red and white). According to Apple, they have stock and ship throughout the EU every 24 hours (no extra shipping costs). They also accept credit card payment without a surcharge – unlike most dealers – and have a 14 day no-questions-asked return policy. For Apple product veterans, it will also be important to note that the company’s common one-year limited warranty does not apply to products that are not Apple-branded, even if they are sold by them or packaged with Apple products.
Posted in 3D Printer
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