The Cube is coming and it’s going to help 3D printing be as big as the iPad.

That’s the message 3D Systems CEO Abe Reichental wants you to understand. The Cube is 3D Systems’ new printer targeted at the mass consumer. It simplifies the process of getting from design to print via embedded Wi-Fi and cloud printing. The Cube will retail for  $1,299 which undercuts the current consumer standard MakerBot Replicator by $500.

There is no doubt that Mr. Reichental has conviction about his belief in the growth of the 3D printing industry. 3D Systems transfered from NASDAQ to NYSE just one year ago and has grown its market cap by 40%. It has since been on an acquisition tear, picking up My Robot Nation, FreshFiber and several other companies. The 3D printer company recently reported record revenue for Q1 and is now placing bets on its Cube consumer printer and Cubify design portal.

In an interview with VentureBeat, Mr. Reichental commented on why 3D printing will become as big as the iPad:

There are very few artists around the world that can start painting on a blank canvas, but there are millions of people who can use a coloring book.

And further on his expectations for printer prices over time:

The prices will come down. It’s inevitable that in the next year or year-and-a-half prices will be half of what they are today, and then come down again.

We are excited to see the launch of the Cube printer!

Via VentureBeat.

iPad Crowd photo from niallkennedy used under Creative Commons license.