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"So if the ease of shipping hardware even approached the ease of shipping software, we'd see a lot more hardware startups." So what kind of startup can facilit

"So if the ease of shipping hardware even approached the ease of shipping software, we'd see a lot more hardware startups." So what kind of startup can facilitate that change?

groby_b 14y ago
Frankly, not a single one. You'd need: * Significant improvements in 3D printing * the ability to construct circuits as part of 3D printing * a much wider range of materials available. Essentially, you'd need to be able to ship hardware as a digital good. Which raises the huge question of DRM. The recent years of software startups side-stepped that by going the SaaS approach. (You'll notice desktop software is pretty much dead. There are no major new projects in that area since probably ~2008 or so.) HaaS is going to be much more difficult. (Not necessarily undoable. Minds on too much coffee have suggested going a biological route, where devices just decompose after a certain time)
- business_guy 14y ago
  I don't get the fetish about 3D printing when CNC milling machine are cheaper and better in most aspects. Between a Makerbot and a Roland iModela I know what I want, and it's not the Makerbot...
benmathes 14y ago
Software can be remade by reloading the page on your dev server. Hardware has to be rebuilt. You'd need to provide a tighter iteration loop on designs. 3D printing could do this, in theory. There's a company trying to do this for life sciences: https://angel.co/transcriptic https://angel.co/transcriptic
- waterlesscloud 14y ago
  Tighter iteration loops does seem like an area where startups could help. Maybe not just with 3D printing, but in other areas of coordinating the workflow as well. I wonder too if there's some streamlining to be done in the supply chain. Look at how Amazon streamlined retail to a point that they serve not only as a catalog/payment service, but also a fulfillment house. Is there something like that to be done with supply chain? Manufacturing? I know there's companies out there in those areas, but that doesn't necessarily mean there's not still big gains to be made somehow.
mmagin 14y ago
I suppose a startup could make it easier for other startups to access contracted design and manufacturing, but I think there's a lot more regulatory barriers too. As soon as you're selling hardware, you're dealing with customs, FCC (or equivalent) regulations, a lot more safety regulations, etc.
MattGrommes 14y ago
I'm a software guy at a hardware company so I know a little about this. From my perspective I think there's room for a startup that acts as a kind of project manager for the actual "making the physical stuff" part of a hardware company. A group of people that knows the companies who do make circuit boards, design the enclosures, produce the plastics, get FCC/UL/etc. signoff if needed, all that kind of thing. It's all well and good to have a great idea for some piece of hardware but you're going to get screwed on price and timelines if you don't know the right companies to make the stuff for you and it's a pretty complicated process.
- waterlesscloud 14y ago
  Interesting. I'd thought it would be handy to have that sort of service for Kickstarter projects, but I can see it could be much broader than that.
- adj 14y ago
  There is a company called Dragon Innovation who do just this: http://www.wired.com/design/2012/06/dragon-innovations-manufacturing-in-china/ http://www.wired.com/design/2012/06/dragon-innovations-manuf... There is also an interesting podcast on the process: http://theamphour.com/the-amp-hour-113-sudden-sinoamerican-synthesis/ http://theamphour.com/the-amp-hour-113-sudden-sinoamerican-s...
ippisl 14y ago
1. Making it easy to replace a physical interface for a hardware device with a mobile app. 2. Making in easy to do testing and verify reliability, both at the development stages and at the manufacturing stages. 3. Making it easy to port the arduino to other platforms or porting it to other interesting platforms(full porting including good library support).

"So if the ease of shipping hardware even approached the ease of shipping software, we'd see a lot more hardware startups." So what kind of startup can facilitate that change?

groby_b 14y ago

Frankly, not a single one. You'd need: * Significant improvements in 3D printing * the ability to construct circuits as part of 3D printing * a much wider range of materials available. Essentially, you'd need to be able to ship hardware as a digital good. Which raises the huge question of DRM. The recent years of software startups side-stepped that by going the SaaS approach. (You'll notice desktop software is pretty much dead. There are no major new projects in that area since probably ~2008 or so.) HaaS is going to be much more difficult. (Not necessarily undoable. Minds on too much coffee have suggested going a biological route, where devices just decompose after a certain time)

business_guy 14y ago
I don't get the fetish about 3D printing when CNC milling machine are cheaper and better in most aspects. Between a Makerbot and a Roland iModela I know what I want, and it's not the Makerbot...

benmathes 14y ago

Software can be remade by reloading the page on your dev server. Hardware has to be rebuilt. You'd need to provide a tighter iteration loop on designs. 3D printing could do this, in theory. There's a company trying to do this for life sciences: https://angel.co/transcriptic https://angel.co/transcriptic

waterlesscloud 14y ago
Tighter iteration loops does seem like an area where startups could help. Maybe not just with 3D printing, but in other areas of coordinating the workflow as well. I wonder too if there's some streamlining to be done in the supply chain. Look at how Amazon streamlined retail to a point that they serve not only as a catalog/payment service, but also a fulfillment house. Is there something like that to be done with supply chain? Manufacturing? I know there's companies out there in those areas, but that doesn't necessarily mean there's not still big gains to be made somehow.

mmagin 14y ago

I suppose a startup could make it easier for other startups to access contracted design and manufacturing, but I think there's a lot more regulatory barriers too. As soon as you're selling hardware, you're dealing with customs, FCC (or equivalent) regulations, a lot more safety regulations, etc.

MattGrommes 14y ago

I'm a software guy at a hardware company so I know a little about this. From my perspective I think there's room for a startup that acts as a kind of project manager for the actual "making the physical stuff" part of a hardware company. A group of people that knows the companies who do make circuit boards, design the enclosures, produce the plastics, get FCC/UL/etc. signoff if needed, all that kind of thing. It's all well and good to have a great idea for some piece of hardware but you're going to get screwed on price and timelines if you don't know the right companies to make the stuff for you and it's a pretty complicated process.

waterlesscloud 14y ago
Interesting. I'd thought it would be handy to have that sort of service for Kickstarter projects, but I can see it could be much broader than that.
adj 14y ago
There is a company called Dragon Innovation who do just this: http://www.wired.com/design/2012/06/dragon-innovations-manufacturing-in-china/ http://www.wired.com/design/2012/06/dragon-innovations-manuf... There is also an interesting podcast on the process: http://theamphour.com/the-amp-hour-113-sudden-sinoamerican-synthesis/ http://theamphour.com/the-amp-hour-113-sudden-sinoamerican-s...

ippisl 14y ago

1. Making it easy to replace a physical interface for a hardware device with a mobile app. 2. Making in easy to do testing and verify reliability, both at the development stages and at the manufacturing stages. 3. Making it easy to port the arduino to other platforms or porting it to other interesting platforms(full porting including good library support).