Really? Remember how much most computers used to cost?

I was thinking the same thing, you need to define "regular consumer" of course. My Mom could have bought an Altair 8800 for $1,000 but there really wasn't any reason too, and she didn't buy a PC when it was $3,000 either because she didn't need one. These days though she can't live without her $1,000 laptop.

I've got a Replicator, helped build a Cupcake when Bre and company were just starting their kit business, and used the Z machine a bit at Google as well. The "reality" of 3D printing is a lot less impressive than the hype. Sure like computers before them, 3D printing will change everything. But until recently (and maybe this changes with the Rep2) you would be lucky if you could make a full set of chess pieces in one go, and if they had been made in a factory in China they would have been discarded as too inferior to send to the customer. Current 3D printing enthusiasts (and I'm one of them) see "through" the obvious defects of the current systems to the systems they can be.

No 'regular' consumer would put up with a 10 hour print where the extruder head clogs in hour 9 and screws it up. But someone like me can say "I wonder what this wheel would look like on a robot, lets print one out" and having something tactile to work with.

3D printing is becoming 'real' at a relatively rapid pace, unlike some other technologies (looking at YOU OLED TVs)

They took several years to become affordable, too. What exactly are you disputing?

Personal computers were thousands of dollars in the '80s, and didn't drop below $1k until after they were mainstream. If you account for inflation, this MakerBot is cheaper than desktop computers were in the early to mid '90s. If it's perceived as a useful tool, then the current price is already low enough to not prevent widespread adoption.

What I meant above is that currently it's perceived as a hobbyist device. It's not a necessity, or even something that improves one's efficiency and quality of life (like the computer is/was).

I might become interested once I'm able to pay for and download the new iPhone model and print myself one, instead of ordering one online or waiting in line for it. :)

3D printers are at the "Apple I" stage.

They're getting cheaper and better, and great for hobbyists/tinkerers, but they're not really useful to the average consumer yet.

The biggest cost with the current crop of < $10,000 3D printers is time. Figuring out how to calibrate them and tweak settings to get perfect prints takes a lot of effort.