10 industries 3D printing will disrupt or decimate

As it evolves, 3D printing technology is destined to transform almost every major industry and change the way we live, work, and play in the future. 

The MakerBot factory is located in Brookyln, New York.

 Image: Louis Seigal

 For better or worse, the 3D printing industry is poised to transform nearly every sector of our lives and jumpstart the next industrial revolution. Sound like a hyperbole? We've compiled a list of 10 major impacts the 3D printing ecosystem will have on businesses, consumers, and the global economy.

If you're just diving into the world of 3D printing, first take a look at my introduction on 3D printing industry basics to quickly get up to speed: 10 facts on 3D printing: Understanding tech's next big game-changer.

1. Massive environmental impacts

Traditional manufacturing is often wasteful and dirty. In many ways, 3D printing lessens that waste and the carbon footprint manufacturing has on the Earth.

• Fewer wasted materials: Only the raw materials needed to create the object—be it plastic filament, metal powder, or carbon fiber—are used. Using biodegradable PLA plastic filament in fused deposition modeling printers like MakerBot is a good start.
• Possibility of longer life spans: Product parts can be replaced with 3D printing (or at least, that's the idea for the future), so the entire product doesn't have to be thrown away and replaced each time it malfunctions.
• Less transport: Products often travel across many continents to get to their final destination. With 3D printing, the production and assembly can be local. Raw materials are the only things that will ship, and they take up far less space.
• Fewer unsold products: If a company makes a product, the ones that are discontinued or not sold often end up piling up in landfills. 3D printing can improve this because companies can make them as needed.

This is all great in theory, but research shows 3D printers themselves have inefficiences that make them less environmentally friendly. An inkjet 3D printer wastes 40 to 45 percent of its ink. And if a printer isn't turned off or unplugged, it uses an excessive amount of electricity. As the printers become more accessible, manufacturers will need to figure out how to improve these issues.

2. Creating a new art medium

The "maker" movement is getting more niche—now we can call it the artisanal movement. 3D printers are being used to create new types of modern art, like this 3D headdress created by artist Joshua Harker, which debuted at 3D Printshow in New York City. The printers can also recreate pieces that aren't accessible to everyone around the world, which helps museums. For instance, the Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam has teamed with Fujifilm to recreate 3D replicas of several Van Gogh paintings.

3. Innovation in education

A few months ago, MakerBot announced MakerBot Academy, a crowdfunded plan to get a 3D printer into every school in America. "It can change the whole paradigm of how our children will see innovation and manufacturing in America," MakerBot CEO Bre Pettis said in the announcement. The company also recently announced a plan to turn colleges and universities into MakerBot Innovation Centers. Starting with State University of New York at New Palz, the centers are equipped with 30 3D printers along with several 3D scanners to help train engineers, architects, and artists and increase motivation for growth in the industry.

4. 3D printing in zero-gravity

One of the most logical uses for 3D printing is printing parts, tools, and other gadgets for astronauts while they're in space. It can also help accelerate the building of parts for the International Space Station. To address these problems, Made In Space was formed by a group of space veterans and 3D printing enthusiasts. They have partnered with NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center to launch the first 3D printer in space. It will manufacture parts in zero-gravity, and the hope is to make space missions more self-sufficient.  

On a related note, an engineer won a grant from NASA last year to prototype a machine that will print food that's better than the freeze-dried stuff astronauts normally eat. Watch the 3D printer make a pizza below:

5. Revolutionizing mass manufacturing

Mass production is the biggest challenge in 3D printing, but with the adoption of large-scale printers and rapidly evolving technology to produce parts faster, the printers will completely disrupt traditional manufacturing in many industries:

• Food: Anything that exists in liquid or powder form can be 3D printed, so naturally, printed food is one of the next big conversations.
• Military: The machinery for the military is often customized and replacements must be made quickly. A 3D gun has already been printed, so it's only a matter of time before the technology catches on in this industry.
• Electronics: The size, shape, and materials used to make electronics make this industry a natural candidate for 3D printing.
• Toys: Home 3D printers and open source design will change the way children create and play.
• Automotive: This industry is already utilizing the technology—Ford reportedly uses 3D printing to test parts. High-end and smaller auto companies will benefit first, though 3D printing could improve the efficiency of making replacement parts for any company.

6. Changing medicine and healthcare

Bioprinting is one of the fastest-growing areas of 3D printing. The technology uses inkjet-style printers to make living tissue. Organovo, the most well-known company who does this, plans to commercialize 3D-printed liver tissue sometime this year. They have also partnered with the National Eye Institute and the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences to print eye tissue.

Researchers at Human Methodist Research Institute said they have created a more efficient way to create cells. Called Block Cell Printing, this process allows 100 percent of the cells to live instead of the 50 to 80 percent that normally survive during the current process. All of this naturally raises questions about the development of complex organs, so bioprinting is destined to turn into a big debate due to moral, ethical, and political concerns.

7. Transforming the home

Humans love their home conveniences, and home 3D printers are becoming smaller and more affordable—MakerBot's smallest printer is just over $1,300. People can print custom jewelry, household goods, toys, and tools to whatever size, shape, or color they want. They will also be able to print make replacement parts right at home, rather than  ordering them and waiting for them to be shipped. According to research firm Strategy Analytics, home 3D printing could evolve into a $70 billion industry per year by 2030.

8. Reaching disconnected markets worldwide

The Gigabot 3D printer is larger, more affordable, and is being used to print logos for StartUp Chile, a Chilean government program for emerging entrepreneurs.

 Image: re:3D

 Developing countries are often completely disconnected from global supply chains for even the most basic products, but 3D printing has the ability to bring them into the loop. The best example of this is Austin-based startup re:3D, which had a hugely successful Kickstarter campaign last May with Gigabot, an industrial-sized, affordable printer designed to work in developing countries. The company has a localized presence in Latin America, specifically partnering with StartUp Chile, a Chilean government program that empowers local tech entrepreneurs. The Gigabot will be used for many of the projects in Chile, like 3D design internships, manufacturing clothing, and experimenting with printing using recyclable materials.

Another way 3D printing can help developing countries is through partnerships with 3D printing researchers. For instance, many countries in the developing world are in dire need of prosthetic limbs, but don't have access to the technology or the education that is required to make their own. A Canadian professor is creating a way to make a prosthetic limb that is about 80 percent as good as one that could be made by hand. The lab is sending the prosthetics to disabled Ugandans.

9. Impacts on the global economy

The 3D printing industry will have far-reaching effects on the global economy. McKinsey Global Institute recently released a report that said 3D printing will cause major disruptions in the global economy by 2025. The analysis firm predicts it will bring about new product development cycles as the systems become cheaper. More companies will adopt the technology and product creation will focus on client feedback and customer-centered design. The industry is also reducing the cost of of entry into markets, allowing very niche businesses to pop up everywhere.

China is already investing in the technology to rival this rapid growth rate in the U.S. and Europe. In June 2013, the country announced a gigantic 3D printer they claimed was the world's largest at the time at 1.8 meters in diameter, and there are rumors they have plans to build even larger ones. It's not clear what impact the technology will have on the economy yet, but it could give China a competitive edge in domestic production. Because 3D printing promotes localized production, this will also affect China's current large-scale manufacturing industry.

10. Intellectual property threats

Sharing 3D printing schematics on websites like Thingiverse and Shapeways seems easy enough, but free designs are bound to cause issues with intellectual property as 3D printing becomes more mainstream. Most of the designs are unpatented, so they can be copied repeatedly and sold by anyone. Expensive or designer objects can also be reverse-engineered or replicated and sold at a cheaper price.

Now, established companies are starting to go after users of these sites, arguing that they are infringing on copyright or violating intellectual property laws. However, most of these designers are building upon original designs, making them better, or localizing products to better suit the needs of people in their area. It will be an ongoing conversation. The industry will have to figure out how to make sure large corporations don't squash entrepreneurs and designers in their fight to protect copyright laws.

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10 facts on 3D printing: Understanding tech's next big game-changer

As 3D printers are become more affordable and versatile, they are destined to disrupt multiple industries. Here's what you need to know about this quickly accelerating technology.  

The MakerBot Replicator 2 enables users to make big objects, up to 410 cubic inches. It was released in 2012 and was designed for the desktop of an engineer, researcher, or creative professional.

 Image: MakerBot

 The world of 3D printing is exciting. With more affordable machines, creative entrepreneurs, innovative startups, and new materials, the industry is rapidly evolving.

Since the invention of the 3D printer in 1983 by Chuck Hull of 3D Systems, companies have popped up all over the globe, attempting to make the most innovative machine. Here are 10 reasons why 3D printing matters—maybe you'll decide the equipment is a worthy investment, or maybe you'll just be convinced this futuristic technology will one day have a place in your business or home.

SEE: Photos: 3D printers and the amazing and quirky things they make

1. 3D printing is a key industry to watch in 2014

Enthusiasm is high, and so is the market for 3D printing in both consumer and enterprise space. According to Gartner research, printers under $100,000 were expected to grow almost 50 percent in 2013, and will increase 75 percent this year. Right now, enterprises are using the printers to prototype objects, but we'll see an increasing amount used to make product designs this year.

SEE: 3D printing: A primer for business and technology professionals

2. 3D printers are empowering "makers"

Chris Anderson, former editor-in-chief of Wired, wrote in his book, Makers, that a new industrial revolution is underway because of open source design and 3D printing. Many entrepreneurs are using micro-manufacturing to create smaller batches of customized products. And with crowdfunding sites, they don't have to rely on venture capitalists to fund these endeavors.

3. Customization is the next step in 3D printing technology

Soon enough the question won't be how we will print things, but what we will print. Customization is the next buzzword in the industry, according to Pete Basiliere, lead Gartner analyst for 3D printing. Replacement parts, toys, and random designs and schemiatics found on the internet can all be customized to fit consumer needs. Because the machines can print one piece at a time, this can be done relatively easily. Shapeways, for instance, is a website where customers can connect with designers and order customized products such as jewelry and home decor.

4. There are several types of 3D printing technologies

• Fused deposition modeling: MakerBot is one of the best examples of this technology. These printers melt a plastic filament and deposit the plastic in layers until it fills up the model. There are two types of plastic, both of which MakerBot uses: ABS, which is sturdy and made from oil-based resources, and PLA, which is biodegradable and made from plant-based resources.
• Stereolithography: These machines use a laser to cure a resin and build the prototype one layer at a time. Rapid prototyping, another form, doesn't use supports to hold up the part so that it can be built faster, but in basic stereolithography, the supports must be manually removed from the part.
• Selective laser sintering: Lasers are used to sinter powdered metal, binding the powder together to create a solid structure. After each layer is sintered together, the structure drops and the next layer is built on top of it.

5. People are making all kinds of things with 3D printers

Check out Makerbot's Thingiverse—the things people create with 3D printers are extraordinarily creative. It's a community for makers where they can upload digital designs or photos of objects they have made with 3D printers. The website has more than 100,000 models and that number is growing every day. From Storm Trooper pen cups to household planters to customizable necklaces, the options of objects people can make are seemingly endless.

6. Ethical dilemmas of 3D printing will be a growing conversation

A Robohand was created with the MakerBot to avoid the expense of traditional prosthetics.

 Image: MakerBot

 Get ready for it—the next great debate will be about the political, ethical, and religious questions 3D printing technologies raise. This is particularly important for bioprinting, which is already accelerating at an alarming rate. Scientists at Cornell University successfully printed a human ear last year, and scientists in Scotland are developing a way to print embryonic stem cells.

Another issue is weapons. In 2012,a man 3D-printed a gun and shared the blueprints on his website (they garnered 100,000 downloads in the two days before the U.S. State Department took them down). He successfully fired it last year, landing himself onWired's list of deadliest people on the planet.

7. Lower prices will drive consumer adoption

As smaller companies make their own 3D printers or crowdfund them, the prices are going to continue to drop. Already, Makerbot's smallest printer—which will begin shipping this spring— is available for $1,375. That still seems pricy for a lot of us, but it's quite affordable for the technology.

"Of course you're always going to have a people particularly invested in the technology who will have the means to spend the money [on their own printer]," Basiliere said. "But as prices come down some more and consumers start to buy them, that number of dedicated consumers will continue to grow."

The prices for larger machines used in manufacturing enterprises are not lowering as quickly, he added, but they will improve in performance and enhancements to more rapidly and efficiently produce parts.

SEE: 10 industries 3D printing will disrupt or decimate

8. HP is going to get in the game at some point

The 3D printing leaders are making themselves known, but there's an elephant in the room: when will HP join the ranks and produce this technology for the mass market? The traditional printing giant has a five-foot-tall 3D printing prototype in the basement of its Palo Alto research lab, and the company said they plan to release a product this year.

"3D printing is in its infancy," CEO Meg Whitman said at a tech conference in Bangkok last October. "It's a big opportunity and we are all over it. We will have something by the middle of next year."

9. 3D printing is going to completely revolutionize manufacturing as we know it

The Cube is a home 3D printer marketed to use to make toys and other small objects.

 Image: Cube

 Open source electronics allow companies to iterate designs and experiment with schematics and product parts. Eventually, they won't need to design every piece in-house and they won't need to ship every part because local or regional makers can design and/or print the parts themselves. Big supply chains will be a thing of the past.

Most companies aren't grasping this technology yet because it's going to change the industry so dramatically. According to Basiliere, the key to long-term growth in the manufacturing industry is the number of materials 3D printers can use, which is small but growing quickly as well.

10. 3D printing is going to cause disruption in many industries

We know 3D printing will upheave mass manufacturers, but what else will the technology affect?

Well, just about everything. Educators can print tools or designs in schools. Artists will have a new medium to work with. Healthcare providers can quickly create what they need in-house. Parents will be able to replace toys or broken household items in a matter of hours.

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Nexus 4 teardown: Easy-open case hides LTE hardware surprise

Bill Detwiler shows you how to crack open the LG-built, Google Nexus 4 and uncovers a hardware surprise inside.

Google's Nexus 4 offers a pure Android experience on an unlocked device, at a great no-contract price. It's also fairly easy to disassemble and hides a bit of a hardware secret inside.

The Nexus 4 has a 4.7-inch IPS display (1280 x 768 resolution at 320 ppi), 1.5GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro CPU, 2GB of RAM, 8 megapixel main camera, 1.3 megapixel front-facing camera, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and comes in 8GB and 16GB versions. Given its hardware specifications, the Nexus 4 can definitely hold its own against other high-end smartphones. And with its support for NFC and wireless charging, LG's handset is even a step ahead of many devices. What the Nexus 4 doesn't have is LTE support--at least not officially. Overall, it's well-built, feels sturdy in your hands and is fairly easy to take apart.

Cracking Open Observations

• Simple to open and disassemble: Once you remove a pair of clearly-visible, external screws (Torx T5 ), the Nexus 4's back cover comes off without much resistance. The internal screws can be removed with a Phillips #00 bit. My only complaint about the phone's construction is the copious amount of adhesive used to hold the battery in place.
• Replaceable battery: Despite being glued down, the 3.8V, 2,100mAh Li-Ion battery is replaceable.
• Clean internal layout and modular components: The phone's interior has a straightforward design that makes removing internal components a snap. Also, many internal parts, such as the headphone jack and front sensor assembly, cameras, and Micro-USB daughterboard, are separate components and can be replaced individually.
• Fused front panel, display, and internal frame: At one time, I criticized manufacturers for fusing a device’s LCD panel to the front glass. If one component broke, you had to replace both. But having spent too much time removing tiny pieces of dust from between the two, I’ve changed my mind.
  
• Hidden LTE hardware support (sort of): Despite all its high-end hardware, the Nexus 4 lacks one increasingly-common feature on top-of-the-line smartphones--LTE support. Last October, Scott Webster wrote about the Nexus 4's lack of LTE support on CNET. Likewise, Lynn La criticized the device for not supporting LTE in her review. But a closer look at the phone's modem reveals that this may not be the case, at least for some Nexus 4 owners. According to Qualcomm's website, the Nexus 4's MDM9215M modem does support LTE. AnandTech found that the Nexus 4 does support LTE on Band 4, which operates in the 1700/2100 MHz spectrum. And, there are reports of people connecting to Band 4 LTE networks--mostly in Canada. There's no guarantee however, that it will work for you in your area or that the functionality won't be disabled at some point. So, even with this modem, there's still no real LTE support.

Bottom Line

The Nexus 4 may not have the stylish design of Samsung's Galaxy S3 or the outstanding battery life of Motorola's Droid Razr Maxx HD, but it's a solid phone and one that's not too difficult to crack open. And at $299 unlocked without a contract, it's definitely priced right. For more information on the Nexus 4, including real-world tests, and pricing check out Lynn La's full CNET review.

Internal Hardware

Our Nexus 4 test unit had the following hardware:

• Samsung 16Gb (2GB) K3PE0E000A-XGC2 LPDDR2 mobile DRAM
• 1.5GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro CPU
• 8GB storage chip
• 802.11 a/b/g/n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth module
• Qualcomm MDM9215M modem
• Qualcomm PM8018 power management IC
• Qualcomm PM8921 power management IC
• Qualcomm PM8821 power management IC
• Qualcomm WCD9310 audio codec
• Broadcom BCM20793S NFC controller
• Texas Instruments BQ51051B battery charge controller
• Avago A5505, A5704, and A5702
• RFMD RF1156 Broadband Low Power SP5T Switch
• Analogix SlimPort ANX7808 transmitter
• Invensense MPU-6050 Six-Axis (Gyro + Accelerometer) MEMS MotionTracking Devices
• Avago ACPM-7251 Quad-Band GSM/EDGE and Dual-Band UMTS Power Amplifier
• SWY GFD49
• S080CD 192311 ST33 2 T 45

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Samsung Galaxy Mega teardown: Oversized phone with average hardware

Samsung's Galaxy Mega may share the Galaxy S4's general design. But as Bill Detwiler shows you, this monster phone's hardware is a step behind the Galaxy S4. 

The Galaxy Mega looks like an oversized version of the Galaxy S4. But looks can be deceiving. The Mega may best the S4 in sheer size, but it lags behind Samsung's flagship phone in nearly everything else.

At 3.46 inches wide, 6.59 inches tall, and weighing just over 7 ounces, the Galaxy Mega is a monster phone or a small tablet--depending on your point of view. And if you're really into cute product names, you can even call this crossover device a phablet.

The Mega has a 1.7 GHz dual-core processor, 1.5GB of RAM, 16GB of storage, an 8.0-megapixel rear-facing camera, 1.9-megapixel front-facing camera, and a 6.3-inch display with 1280 x 720 resolution.

Cracking Open Observations

Easy to crack open: Like the S4 and most Samsung phones/tablets I've cracked open, disassembling the Mega is relatively easy and doesn't require any special tools--just a Phillips #000 screwdriver and maybe a thin blade.

 Bill Detwiler

Hardware layout similar to the Galaxy S4: The Mega's overall internal design is similar to the S4. The main board is located at the top and a smaller board at the bottom.

Fused front panel/display/internal frame: Like the Galaxy S4, the Mega's front panel, display, and internal frame are fused together. If one part breaks, you'll likely need to replace the whole assembly.

 Bill Detwiler

Monster phone with merely average hardware

If the Mega is so similar to the Galaxy S4 in appearance and overall construction, why are it's looks deceiving? It all comes down to hardware. The S4 has a 1.9GHz quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM, 13-megapixel camera, and a screen resolution of 1920 x 1080. The Mega is a step behind in every category except the battery.

Why would you want a device that's really too large to be a phone (in my opinion) and has hardware that's less than cutting edge? Well, price. At time of publication, the Mega is $149 (US) compared to the S4 which is still $199 (although some carriers offer slightly better deals). And even when the Galaxy Note 3 hits store shelves, it will cost $299. So if you're in the market for a midrange phablet, the Mega is worth a look.

 Bill Detwiler

Internal hardware

Our AT&T Galaxy Mega test unit had the following hardware:

• 1.7GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 MSM8930 (mounted under the DRAM)
• 1.5GB Samsung K4P2E304EB-PCC2 LPDDR2 mobile DRAM
• 16GB Toshiba THGBM5G7A23BAIR e-MMC module
• 6.3-inch HD TFT display (1280 x 720)
• 8.0-megapixel rear-facing camera
• 1.9-megapixel front-facing camera
• 3.8V, 3,200 mAh Li-ion battery
• Qualcomm PM8917 power management IC
• Maxim Integrated MAX77803
• Silicon Image Sil9244 MHL Transmitter with HDMI Input
• Qualcomm WCD9304 audio codec
• Lattice Semiconductor LP1K36
• 607A Y3JB
• InvenSense MPU-6051M six-axis gyroscope and accelerometer
• Skyworks SKY85707-21 5GHz, 802.11n/ac front-end module
• Samsung CMC6240M
• Broadcom BCM20793 NFC IC
• Skyworks SKY77619 multiband power amplifier module for quad-band GSM/EDGE and Penta-Bands
• Skyworks SKY77737 power amplifier module for LTE bands 12/17
• Qualcomm WTR1605L LTE transceiver
• SWE GNF09
• RF Micro Devices RF7307 single-band 4G LTE power amplifiers
• Audience eS305 earSmart voice processor (AUD 305B)

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DIY desktops are dead in business and dying in the home

 

Declining PC sales, fewer discrete components, and the proliferation of mobile devices are pushing the homebrew PC market into obscurity.

As an IT pro, gamer, and someone who's built PCs for both business and personal use, I was really excited to moderate ZDNet's Great Debate, PC homebrewing and white-boxing: Dead or alive?

Jason Perlow, Senior Technology Editor at ZDNet, argued that the days when building a PC made sense are long gone:

"While there still exists a cottage industry for building "White Boxes" and supporting the homebrewed PC enthusiast, this industry is not a healthy one. The homebrewing and White Box industry is on the verge of extinction."

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes, a ZDNet contributor, argued the opposite position:

"While there's no doubt that big-box PC OEMs have driven computer prices into the dirt - so much so that it's hard for the OEMs themselves to cut a profit - there's still room in the market for DIYers who want to build their own PCs."

Arguments for and against

As moderator, I focused the debate around three themes--building PCs for business, DIY desktops for the home, and the effect of PC sales/manufacturing trends on the homebrew market.

Note: Our debaters were arguing the pros and cons of building vs. buying desktop PCs. They weren't addressing custom-built (i.e. whitebox) network and datacenter hardware, such as Google's Pluto Switch, or open networking technology, such as Facebook's Open Compute Project (OCP) or Google OpenFlow protocol.

Building PCs for the business

Adrian believes businesses can still benefit from building their own machines. DIY desktops can be customized to meet specific business needs. Upgrades and repairs are easier. And you can ensure the quality of every part that goes into the machine. "Bottom line," he wrote, "with a brand-name system you have very little control over what goes into the machine."

Jason countered that DIY desktops won't save the business money (due to the commoditization of desktop hardware) and don't offer better support options (as OEMs offer onsite support plans). "Time is money," he wrote. "Do you want your highly-paid IT staff wasting valuable time playing PC tech, or to focus their energies in support your line of business applications and infrastructure?"

DIY desktops at home

For the average consumer, Jason doesn't believe there is any advantage to building a PC:

"If we are talking about a typical consumer with a capital C (and not a Hobbyist, or a Gamer) someone who browses the web, engages in social networking, and uses productivity and typical multimedia applications, and plays games casually, then you should never consider building a PC."

First, there's the added cost of an operating system license. Second, it can be difficult to source quality retail components. Third, PC homebrewing takes a significant amount of time and effort. Lastly if you have a local PC shop build the machine for you, there's a very real chance it could go out of business and leave you without support.

Adrian acknowledges these downsides, but believes they shouldn't deter people from building their own machines.

Declining PC sales and move to mobile

In April, IDC reported that PC shipments fell 14 percent in the first quarter of 2013--the worst year-over-year decline since the company began collecting the numbers in 1994. Data from Gartner and even Intel show a similar downward trend. Many attribute this decline to the proliferation of mobile computing devices (tablets, smartphones, wearable computers, etc.) and the growth of cloud-based software, services, and storage. I asked each debater how the the overall decline in PC sales will affect the homebrew PC market.

Jason believes this is the real "meat" of the debate:

"Movement towards low-cost SoC-based and APU-based devices, whether they be Ultrabooks, tablets, smartphones, convergence devices, wearables, shifts computational power and infrastructure from the desktop to the datacenter and Cloud and also software from a purchased/licensed to a subscription and SaaS/DaaS model. So building PCs will make far less sense than ever before."

When asked if the move away from discrete PC components would put additional pressure on the homebrew market, Jason continued:

"In summary, we're moving towards a model where PCs are no longer going to be serviceable, whether it is a notebook computer with soldered-on everything or a PC mainboard that is simply a just a glorified SoC with onboard GPU, RAM and networking. I don't see how a PC building ecosystem can continue to be viable in that way."

Not so fast, Adrian pointed out:

"While there has certainly been a shift towards reducing the number of discrete components inside PCs - for the sake of making them easier to build for the OEMs - the major players (such as Intel and AMD) have all reaffirmed their commitment to the enthusiast market. In other words, it's going to be possible to build PCs for the foreseeable future."

Dead in business and dying at home

Most debate voters (90 percent) and forum participants believe there's still plenty of life left in the homebrew PC market. And Andrian made an impassioned argument that homebrewing is still practical--but only in a few very narrow business situations and for the PC enthusiast.

"First off," Adrian wrote, "while I'm a huge DIY PC advocate, I'm not suggesting that business build every PC they need." Adrian also acknowledges that off-the-shelf PCs are less expensive, writing that "if you want a bunch of cheap PCs for regular desktop usage, then it's always going to be quicker and cheaper to buy these off-the-shelf than it is to build them."

Along with price, other trends are pushing the homebrew market further into obscurity. PC sales are declining. Component manufacturers are slowly but surely moving away from discrete hardware. And consumers are migrating en masse to mobile devices (smartphones and tablets) and laptops.

This doesn't mean the homebrew market will disappear tomorrow or even within the next decade. As Jason noted, there are individuals who are "permanently fixated in a DIY worldview who can never be convinced to buy systems from OEMs." But this group of PC builders is a "small and ever declining portion of the PC using population."

For all intents and purposes, the homebrew PC is dead within the business and dying (albeit slowly) within the consumer market.

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iPhone 5C teardown reveals upgrades and design changes

Bill Detwiler cracks open the iPhone 5C and shows you the upgrades and design changes that make it more than just an iPhone 5 with a plastic case.

The iPhone 5C has the same processor, rear camera, and Retina display as the iPhone 5. But Apple didn't just slap a series of colorful plastic cases on last year's phone. On the inside, the 5C is a unique device, with hardware upgrades and design elements from both the 5 and new 5S.

On the outside, it's the iPhone 5C's colorful polycarbonate cases that really set the phone apart from the 5 and 5S. And thanks to this case, it's also slightly longer, wider, thicker and a bit heavier than the other two iPhones.

But peel back the case, and the 5C reveals itself to be a unique device, which borrows traits from both the other phones.

 Bill Detwiler

Cracking Open observations

Opening the phone still requires special tools: One thing that all three phones share is how you crack them open. You'll need a special pentalobe screwdriver to remove the external case screws and a suction cup (and possibly a few thin, prying tools) to remove the front panel.

 Bill Detwiler

Home button similar to iPhone 5: Unlike the new 5S, there's no ribbon cable connecting the Home button to the lower connector assembly. This simplifies the task of removing the front panel.

Familiar internal hardware layout: The 5C shares the same general hardware layout as the iPhone 5 and 5S, but there are both differences and similarities--outlined below.

 Bill Detwiler

Better battery than iPhone 5, but no removal tab: The 5C has a slightly higher-capacity battery than the 5, but a lower capacity battery than the 5S. And like the 5S, it lacks the battery removal pull tab found on the 5.

Unique camera mount: The 5C's camera is covered with a metal bracket. The 5 has no bracket and the 5S' camera is covered with a rubber flap.

Motherboard similar to iPhone 5S: While the 5C may have the same A6 processor as last year's iPhone 5, the main system board has the same general design and connector placement as the 5S. You can't swap this board out for the one on your old iPhone 5.

Speaker and connector assembly similar to iPhone 5: One bit of 5C hardware that is more like its counterpart on the 5 than the 5S, is the external speaker and lower connector assembly. This isn't surprising given the 5S' new Home button with integrated fingerprint reader.

 Bill Detwiler

Same Retina display and new FaceTime camera: All three phones have the same Retina display, but like the 5S, the 5C has an upgraded FaceTime camera and redesigned screen connectors. The Home button (and its pressure contacts) are more like those on the iPhone 5.

Main board shields soldered in place: Unfortunately like the boards in the iPhone 5 and 5S, the EMI/RFI shields are soldered in place.

Case components are held in place with screws/adhesive: Unfortunately, the external speaker, Lightning connector, and headphone jack, vibration motor, flash, and a bevy of connector wires they are held to the case with a mix of screws and adhesive. If any of these components were damaged, removing and replacing them is possible--just not easy.

 Bill Detwiler

More than an iPhone 5 clone, still a pain to repair

I'm glad Apple took the opportunity to not just give the iPhone 5C a new case, but also upgrade the phone's hardware and tweak the phone's internal design. And while it's still no walk in the park the crack open, the 5C is no more difficult to work on than the iPhone 5 or 5S.

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