Bambu Lab recently announced a firmware security update for its printers that would introduce an official “authorization control” system for critical printer operations. The update is presented as a way to mitigate the “risk of remote hacks or printer exposure issues that have happened in the past, and also lower the risk of abnormal traffic or attacks.”
The new firmware will not allow Bambu Lab printers to interface with popular 3rd party software or hardware upgrades such as Orca Slicer or BigTreeTech’s Panda Touch screen. Now, users will need to download “Bambu Connect” to act as a one-way go-between.
The left hand giveth, and the right hand taketh away.
My next printer is a Prusa One. Because Prusa. I’ve watched all the videos on ‘why Bamboo’, and the bias in all of them is people who are running or want to run a business/farm. While that’s a good selection for people who actually use the machines, what is different is how they process costs and inconvenience - because its a business, they can pass costs down to their customers, they can just as a couple reviewers said, “just buy another printer and keep moving”.
This is not my use case. I’m looking for a tool for my house/life. It’s more like buying a pedestal table saw, or a complete set of cordless tools, a lawn tractor or a small pickup truck. I’m the end customer. I can’t ‘pass on maintenance costs’. I want a well-made tool that I can happily use for a long long time.
Between the products is not a heck of a lot of difference, they both ooze plastic. Between the two business philosophies, miles and miles. And I can’t say I don’t want to live in a world filled with bad business philosophies, and then give those same people my business, because they have a cheaper sticker.
I don’t buy devices that aren’t mine anymore. And it while it often initially costs more, over life, will cost me less - in money, in time, in aggravation.