I see your point.
However, I don’t see private 3D-printing becoming so massive in the foreseeable future that companies feel they must intervene. It’s a DIY thing so it’s rather a new market to tap than real competition. The majority of people will want to buy things off the shelf. Modeling something in 3D and get a good print (is that even the right word for it?) is time consuming and somewhat more complex than downloading an app on your iThingy.
[Okay, I’ll buy one next year and I will be making stuff. I’m still waiting for an affordable printer that can make bigger parts.]
I like the idea of printing prosthetics where they are needed. As kids outgrow them they need to be replaced in shorter intervals anyway, so they wouldn’t have to last forever. Maybe someone should get the Gates Foundation or the like interested in this.
And the countries who really need this can make their laws accordingly. We have seen something like that over the past years regarding cheap HIV medication.
