A month or two back I reported on the emerging Justappi 3D file repository and hosting service. Since then, having checked back a couple of times, things have gone rather quiet. Until, that is, I recently had word from the company’s co-founder, Terry Ashton, and subsequently had a rather long conversation with him. It was a conversation that went in many different directions, including his take on the whole 3D printing space, its evolution & where it is heading, as well as some insight into the origins of money(!), weird but strangely intriguing. Terry has one of those minds that works at a million miles an hour, constantly goes off on a tangent and you find yourself working extremely hard to keep up. Our conversation traversed regularly between on and off the record and I have erred on the side of caution here.
The Justappi website has morphed in the weeks since it first appeared, reflecting the fast moving evolution of the 3D printing industry itself, and has been undergoing some further debugging to ensure that it can — and does — everything it says on the tin. Most significantly all revenue streams generated via the actual models hosted on the site have been removed. All hosting and transaction services for 3D content are now free of charge for users. Furthermore, any financial transactions that result from designers selling their files (as opposed to sharing) will take place directly between the buyer and the seller. The other interesting angle with Justappi is the opportunity for manufacturers to license their IP via the site — a great deal of time has been invested in developing the security requirements needed to fulfil this service seamlessly.
So the Justappi team have been working long hours to get it ready and are now taking it to the next level. The revised site is now live and accepting pre-registrations and file submissions.
However, as each day passes it is becoming clearer that the site will be operating in an increasingly crowded space. But this does not phase Terry at all. He told me: ”Our philosophy is simple. And it will remain simple. The Justappi team has many years combined experience in software distribution, software production, marketing, IT, IP legal expertise, public relations, psychology and life and we will use all this to ensure that we focus on our core business during the next few evolutionary years in the industry. That said, as the industry’s dynamics change over the next few years, which they will, we shall remain focused on our core business of 3D file distribution whilst modifying our operation to suit the consumers’ daily requirements. And this is because, when all of the hype and excitement dust settles, people will still need 3D files!”
