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Anker should focus on its core business which is batteries. Recently they had multiple safety recalls for batteries. If they can't get batteries right anymore, which is their core business, they can't conceivably get anything else right.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I think their gambit has more been "power", being battery packs, chargers, cables, etc. They are technically not a battery tech company, they assemble 3rd party batteries into consumer products.
The Apple of power packs?
I know I’d rather pay a small premium to get good hardware than gamble with bargain bin no-names on Amazon. That being said I am not sure they are quite there. I’ve never had any issue with their chargers but the string of batteries recalls is not encouraging.
Anker should focus on its core business which is batteries. Recently they had multiple safety recalls for batteries. If they can't get batteries right anymore, which is their core business, they can't conceivably get anything else right.
Diversifying is a pretty existential in that market IMHO.
I have a M5 that I got through the original Kickstarter campaign. I love this printer. I use it casually, but I rarely have a failed print that I can't attribute to i.e. poorly chosen supports. Almost all of the parts on it are still original and working well, apart from the hot end that I've had to replace a few times due to accidentally breaking the screws when changing nozzles. (It was a poor design of the original hot end where the very thin, long screws did not have the shear strength in aluminum to not break when accidentally torquing the nozzle head. This was fixed with the all-metal hot end, which is not ideal for all filaments.)
Despite my issue with the hot end (which I believe could easily be fixed with an updated design), and the nearly useless "AI" feature, I feel like this printer was a great value at the time. It's very well built, looks great, and very reliable. I really enjoy every opportunity I have to use it and do not regret my purchase decision at all.
I'm saddened that they seem to be pulling out of the market, even though it makes sense compared to the competition. It really seemed like they had a promising start. If this is truly the end, then RIP with positive sentiments from me.
My Eufy (by Anker) robovac is such a piece of shit that it sullied the Anker brand for me. I used to expect anything they made to be good by default. Now, it's the opposite.
It's weird how since like the 2018ish, the West has been holding its collective breath about how 'high-tech Chinese product X' is going to wipe out local markets by offering the same stuff cheaper and better. We've seen this mentioned with smartphones, laptops, various electronics accessories, household stuff, and most recently cars. Interestingly, this stuff never seemed to catch on, the best they usually managed is…
My Eufy (by Anker) robovac is such a piece of shit that it sullied the Anker brand for me. I used to expect anything they made to be good by default. Now, it's the opposite.
It's weird how since like the 2018ish, the West has been holding its collective breath about how 'high-tech Chinese product X' is going to wipe out local markets by offering the same stuff cheaper and better. We've seen this mentioned with smartphones, laptops, various electronics accessories, household stuff, and most recently cars. Interestingly, this stuff never seemed to catch on, the best they usually managed is…
I don't know if it's just anecdotal, but I see a LOT of Chinese EVs in the England lately. Obviously nobody is buying them based on brand recognition or any sort of quality belief, brands nobody has heard of until now can only be on our streets in the numbers I'm seeing because they're significantly cheaper than buying something from a known auto manufacturer.
The one exception I'd say in the UK are MG EVs, which for some unknown reason some of my fellow Brits have some sort of affinity to as a brand.
I wouldn't dream of buying a JAECOO or BYD and everything I've seen online about their EVs absolutely suggest some at least morally dubious tactics, not to say the likely of VW haven't also had their hands slapped, but let's see how their fair mid term.
Side note: Recently got a DJI drone, have had some of their other camera related non-drone stuff, the thing is absolutely nuts for the price, DJI really are unrivalled.
My Eufy (by Anker) robovac is such a piece of shit that it sullied the Anker brand for me. I used to expect anything they made to be good by default. Now, it's the opposite.
I've since upgraded to a Dreame with lidar and mopping that actually maps my place. It also has a Home Assistant integration so it can be automated and scheduled. But my original Eufy kept my old apartment floor in great shape.
My Eufy (by Anker) robovac is such a piece of shit that it sullied the Anker brand for me. I used to expect anything they made to be good by default. Now, it's the opposite.
I think all Robovacs still kind of suck. We bought a mid-tier Roborock and it's been, meh. * The "mop" function is pretty much useless. It's very good at creating a thin layer of grime across our entire house. It basically just pushes grime from the high traffic areas of the high into the lower areas. Even with an aggressive setting for "mop cleaning", it just doesn't get clean. * The vacuum function is okay-ish. It…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
It's weird how since like the 2018ish, the West has been holding its collective breath about how 'high-tech Chinese product X' is going to wipe out local markets by offering the same stuff cheaper and better. We've seen this mentioned with smartphones, laptops, various electronics accessories, household stuff, and most recently cars. Interestingly, this stuff never seemed to catch on, the best they usually managed is…
> The jury's still out on cars, but my suspicion is they're going to be far less dominant than the doomsayers predict. Electric Vehicles? Chinese firms are crushing that market. They're well positioned to own the medium-term future of cars and similar vehicles.
It seems like everyone is dog-piling on Anker over this, so I'd like to put forward a bit more positive of a take. I have a M5 that I got through the original Kickstarter campaign. I love this printer. I use it casually, but I rarely have a failed print that I can't attribute to i.e. poorly chosen supports. Almost all of the parts on it are still original and working well, apart from the hot end that I've had to repl…
That bit was highlighted in the article, though, as one of the more annoying aspects of Anker pulling out of the market. It's likely if your hot end fails again, you'll suddenly have 10 lbs of useless 3D printer to deal with. Most people will just toss them in a landfill.
There was a time I thought 3D printers would break free from the 'every part is proprietary' industry of 2D printers, where you have cheap disposable hardware and people are incentivized to buy new printers frequently to replace dodgy old equipment.
But outside of the passionate Voron community and a few companies who still have at least some of the community/repairability-first ethos, it seems the wider industry is moving towards proprietary hardware, even to the point of blocking out (or at least making difficult) 3rd party accessories, mods, and community software.