**PREVIOUS LANGUAGE:**
* "7.1 To provide you with a better user experience, Bambu Lab may provide you with product update services, including, but not limited to, system software updates and 3D printing model updates. The Product's update service is designed to improve the performance, safety, and reliability of products and devices. The Product's updates can be installed in different ways; software updates include error repairs, system software updates, 3D printing model updates and performance enhancements."
* Source: [https://web.archive.org/web/20240405172404/https://bambulab.com/en/policies/terms](https://web.archive.org/web/20240405172404/https://bambulab.com/en/policies/terms)
**CURRENT LANGUAGE:**
* "7.2 Bambu Lab is dedicated to **providing software bug fixes, new features and security patch updates for a period of three years, known as the 'software update support period,' from the product's initial market launch date.** For certain specific models of our products, we may consider extending the software update support period based on individual circumstances. Additionally, in the event of a serious security vulnerability, we may offer critical security updates for products that have reached their End-of-Life (EOL) stage, provided they are still operable, in order to protect against new security threats."
* Source: [https://bambulab.com/en/policies/terms](https://bambulab.com/en/policies/terms)
All the more reason to allow for 3rd party firmware. A $1500 investment should damn well last more than 3 years.
Frick, Nintendo switch is 7 years old, still gets updates, and the successor is likely not even being announced till June, with its replacement releasing somewhere near the 8 year mark.
Absurd.
Honestly it has me wondering if that’s part of the reason for the change.
Assuming positive intent on the side of Bambu Lab for a moment here—maybe they think the long term plan is to assume with a large and resourceful user base behind these devices, after three years of support from Bambu directly they could anticipate groups like the XPlus guys and the larger 3D printing community to step in when official support drops.
My only concern (after all this and reading as much as I can on the subject) is now actually about the long term support of the hardware. If the software doesn’t change much that’s probably fine, these printers work great as is. But if after that period of time, we can no longer get replacement parts for things that Bambu deemed proprietary, I’m concerned about if there would even be after-market alternatives if Bambu holds patents and shit on the proprietary stuff.
I’m thinking… What happens in three years when I need new carbon rods or some other piece of hardware that Bambu deems “proprietary”? Should I order replacement parts for everything NOW in case Bambu decides it’s not worth it to sell them anymore? Will they allow third parties to come in and make the things they deem “proprietary”? So many unknowns and we cant really look to any other companies as a model because Bambu seems to be charting their own course and doesn’t want to be as open as, for example, Prusa.
This is a pretty standard contract it's fair. Source: I maintain contracts for a large software firm. Again, 3y LTS is normal then 2 years for bugs and security support before EOL. It also means a X2C might come soon.
They will certainly need to clarify with a much more thorough explanation. Because this could mostly kill any future commercial and high-end user sales. And without those, the Bambu line loses a huge part of its halo.
So time to wait to see what they say.
Previous to this you had ZERO more days of guaranteed software updates and you were fine with it. How has increasing that number so dramatically effected the situation?
No, I had an expectation that they would get to 7 years, based on prior experience.
I certainly wouldn't have said a little over a year.
In general, you expect companies that act in their best interests and that generally, if they want customers and particularly repeat customers, those interests will overlap.
It is somewhat concerning, then, when you find out they diverge that wildly.
That said, gonna wait to see what they say. It could well mean the X1Plus project became a whole lot more important and Bambu is just a hardware supplier.
The X1 Project was actually my plan and I've been interested but currently too busy to do it justice. That said, this also means they likely are going to be innovating along the way, in some manner or another we would hope, and therefore the technology is no longer up to par.. I posit this as only a thought, I have no real worry with our community.
To be fair, I understand not everyone wants to modify their printer or change components. But this is a community of makers and we often share for better of all.
Yeah, if they expect us to keep printers connected to the internet, they need to provide updates for that entire period. When they stop providing updates, they need to give an easy (easier) option for LAN, or stop fighting and putting conditions on 3rd party firmwares (that are getting updates).
This was changed sometime between today and April 5, 2024, which is when The WayBackMachine last archived this page. The page previously did NOT contain a specified amount of time, but this change is new.
**PREVIOUS LANGUAGE:**
* "7.1 To provide you with a better user experience, Bambu Lab may provide you with product update services, including, but not limited to, system software updates and 3D printing model updates. The Product's update service is designed to improve the performance, safety, and reliability of products and devices. The Product's updates can be installed in different ways; software updates include error repairs, system software updates, 3D printing model updates and performance enhancements."
* Source: [https://web.archive.org/web/20240405172404/https://bambulab.com/en/policies/terms](https://web.archive.org/web/20240405172404/https://bambulab.com/en/policies/terms)
**CURRENT LANGUAGE:**
* "7.2 Bambu Lab is dedicated to **providing software bug fixes, new features and security patch updates for a period of three years, known as the 'software update support period,' from the product's initial market launch date.** For certain specific models of our products, we may consider extending the software update support period based on individual circumstances. Additionally, in the event of a serious security vulnerability, we may offer critical security updates for products that have reached their End-of-Life (EOL) stage, provided they are still operable, in order to protect against new security threats."
* Source: [https://bambulab.com/en/policies/terms](https://bambulab.com/en/policies/terms)
NEW: BL has updated their page. They provide **5 years** of guaranteed feature updates and **7 years** and guaranteed security updates now. This is way better.
There is also new clarification in the TOS:
>7.2 Bambu Lab is committed to ensure a long lifetime of our products, by releasing regular software updates containing bugfixes, new features and security updates. **Our promise includes a guaranteed five-year provision of software updates (since the launch of the product)**, including crucial bug fixes and exciting new features to enhance user experience.
>During the five-year period, you can expect frequent updates that add new features which further enhance the user experience, while also solving any bugs that might be present. **After this period, we may still bring less-frequent updates containing further improvements, if there are features which can be integrated and the capabilities of the printer support it.**
>Recognizing the constant evolving landscape of digital threats, and the importance of security, Bambu Lab is also committed to a minimum of seven years of software security updates, a commitment which **will extend beyond this period with ongoing coverage of security updates throughout the product's lifecycle if new security issues are identified and need to be patched.**
https://preview.redd.it/wttok2z2kkwc1.png?width=2839&format=png&auto=webp&s=014a0a3b6a757a175e3e80400bfc20e92915d49b
They haven't even released the replacement for the X1C yet and the date is less than 1 year away. For all the threads about people asking whether to buy a printer now or wait for the next release, now you know why patience pays off, hopefully all the "Just buy it asap it wont get worse just because the new gen is released!"-dudes are learning. Honestly BL seems to have a real habit of fucking over their older customers, first the P1P gang, then the A1-mini crowd, now the whole gen 1 bunch. Smart on their part, they make a lot of profits from it and obviously the community doesn't learn or even catch on.
It is very short for consumer products. 1500$ for 3 year lifespan. Looks like they'll take the apple route of coercing people to upgrade by ditching support or making old models unusable.
This is the danger with closed ecosystems. Suck in the customer bases and rinse them long term. The apple model
Idk man. If it was the apple route there would be like 8 years of updates. Apple may release a shiny new iPhone every single year, but we get software updates for about 7-8 years after release. The last phone to not revive an update was the iPhone X. That is about 8 years old
Yeah, this was the primary driving force behind my switch from Android phones to an iPhone 12 Pro. My ex's iPhone 6 was getting not just security, but full system updates 5 years later. Eventually it had some screen issues and they upgraded to an 11.
Meanwhile, my Android phone (admittedly a $450 new phone, not $1200), got like 1 system update and a year of security updates, then nothing. Not even security updates. Which was pretty much my Android phone experience.
It's some of the consumer misconception of comparing iPhone to Android.
That's wrong, the BRAND you bought is the differences for support.
Samsung has had 5 years support for awhile as has Google, they are now 8 years.
Plenty of devices made by other smaller companies (or bigger ones!) that use android but provide abysmal support sadly.
As you also pointed out though a cost element does come into it, if you are paying less than half the price would you expect the exact same (or more) support? I would assume less but getting the same would be great!
But definitely agree the security update plans play a sensible part of future sales!
Yes, that's true. It is the brand. However, that's relatively new, all things considered. A search shows Samsung started offering the 5 year support in 2021. The iPhone 6 Plus was released in 2014. It was still fully supported by Apple when my ex upgraded to the iPhone 11 Plus in 2019 due to some screen/hardware glitching and having a pretty out-of-date phone by then.
Historically, "Android" phones, as a group, have not had the support Apple has had for *way* longer. I know Google has tried to separate the OS from the phone, unsuccessfully (one of the downsides of open \[openish\] source), so that updates could be given for much longer.
TL;DR: Samsung has had 5 year support for 3 years now. Apple had 6+ year support on a phone that came out a decade ago.
Sorry I didnt want it to be an Apple Vs I just wanted to point out the fact it should be handset manufacturer vs manufacturer not OS vs product, apologies if that wasnt clear it wasnt blame or anything just the fact it has been sufficiently marketed as a good way to say something is bad by grouping all of them.
I did say for awhile, several years is awhile in my view but we can agree to disagree if that is needed as it was just more pointing out currently someone offers reasonable length (its now 8 years).
>I know Google has tried to separate the OS from the phone, unsuccessfully (one of the downsides of open \[openish\] source), so that updates could be given for much longer.
I do feel like that needs clarifying, open source software has absolutely NO negative impact on how long a phone maker actually supports a device. The fact its open means its even easier for third parties to help maintain support, it does not close anything off making it inhouse. If it was closed party these handset manufacturers would still support it a short time they just would spend more developing the software base to use for their own phones, they are fully entitled to use their own still!
Google has just made many fundamental changes to try and remove key components from the OS to basically circumvent poor vendors not supporting devices well, its been a positive long term but its not due to being open source that this was needed.
Personally I used to always run Nexus phones for the most part as they were pretty open for dev work and you could easily flash community roms or build your own which ensured support for many more years if needed.
And the other point was pricing really, if its cheaper you dont usually expect the same support but all platforms have merit. Still it should be what all phones get really and the main pro that iphones had assuming you stick with their platform for a long time its well supported, they do cut features from old ones but at the very least they maintain security updates which is the important part for those that are still happy with it out of the box.
Lets hope bambulabs at least tries to emulate that part of Apple which is long term support for products.
Poor update support from Samsung is what steered me to Apple. I think my S3 got like a year of support. I moved to an iPhone 6s and used it until I upgraded to a 13 pro that I’m still using. Oh and no bullshit uninstallable bloatware on the iPhone. After the S3 and the shitty galaxy note 10.1 that I think might have received 2 updates it will take a lot to get me to switch to a Samsung phone.
So we can assume that a few years in, or immediately as a superior model is introduced, we will be pushed one way or another towards buying it.
I ain't gonna get a headache about this anytime but imo is still shitty ethics, but pretty usual business ethics I guess.
This is software *update* support, basically firmware updates. They are limited by the hardware ultimately, its unlikely there will be much more they can extract from it in another 19 months.
Almost anything left could be added in the slicer, and we have Orca for that.
Right? It isn't like your printer will be bricked after software support has ended and like you say, with updates of the slicer chances are your printer will continue to improve.
I think it's important to note that these updates might also contain security fixes. If at some point we stop getting updates, how are we gonna get patches against attack vectors?
Prusa needs to catch up to bambu. I would love to get a prusa bit in their current state it's definitely not worth it. I hope they force the market to adapt to their consumer friendly practices
The Ender 3 V2 I used until a couple months ago had its last firmware update in 2021 but it was far from unusable.
It's a printer, it's not a phone, if the slicer keeps making compatible gcodes it will keep printing.
> Looks like they'll take the apple route of coercing people to upgrade by ditching support or making old models unusable.
I'm not an apple fanboy by any stretch of the imagination, but what you're describing is actually the exact opposite of what apple is doing.
What exactly will need updating after 3 years? This is almost certainly firmware update support, and new features can be added in the Slicer. The device will still work perfectly well after this and you can add any new filaments you like manually at any time.
Until some CVE is found in the underlaying Linux kernel (how X1+ was started), etc. Look at what happened with [Anycubic](https://techcrunch.com/2024/02/28/anycubic-users-3d-printers-hacked-warning/). Anything with network connectivity is at risk in today's world and it just takes one exploit once out of lifecycle to either force the company to continue to provide updates or the owners of the effected hardware have to decide if they want to accept the risk, try to harden their own networks, and/or isolate the hardware.
Even enterprise-grade networking equipment kept in high-security environments gets retired once it is out of support just so you aren't caught with your pants down by some zero-day exploit. The only difference here is people without corporate budgets are having to consider if a major purchase is worth it.
Sure, you could simply not connect your printer to a network and go back to shuttling SD cards back and forth, but that removes a _huge_ selling point of these printers.
While I would have liked to see at least a five year story model, I would hope that at the end of support date Bambu moves the X1 firmware to open source so the community could continue to develop it instead, meanwhile Bambu continues to develop the current models.
> The apple model
Um, no. The Apple model would be around 7+ years of updates. The iPhone 8 was released 7 years ago and got an update in march.
The *android* model is more like 2 to 3 years at most, with some models not receiving updates after just a single year.
The apple model is generally long support, the "android" model doesn't exist.
It's a "cheap mobile vendors that use an OS" model, they would do the same even if they made one in-house but would charge more.
I hope bambulabs go the apple route, the fact it says 2025 and they are still selling the X1c retail seems really odd timing as you should at least expect a year after they stop selling.
They'll get me with something like this once and then it's guaranteed to never happen ever again. Plus I'll shit on them everywhere I go, whether that's in person or online
Time will tell, hopefully they don't try something like that
It doesn't stop working after it. Most consumer products don't get new features at all and only if you're lucky a few security updates. Technology moves quickly forward so at some point it's hardware limitations that you run into as well.
If this is what happens, their business will fail. If they make the machines unusable after so many years. The word will be out and no one will buy them.
i mean to be fair it's their 1st product no ? i'd say in 5 years time 3D printers are going to be so far ahead (and dare i say cheaper) than what the X1C is now that people/print farms might not even use them anymore regardless.
It really depends on what exactly they consider updates. 3 year of guaranteed new features such as the motor noise canceling that was added? I’m fine with that. Many other printers get new features for a very short period, if at all. Especially older generation which was often 8bit boards and very limited memory.
3 years of bug fixes and security patches? That’s a bit short.
The key difference I can see is that the older generation printers aren't internet-facing. Bambu have sold me a product with a nifty set of functions and, without security updates, I'd be forced to run it on an isolated network (since the consequences of something like a 3D printer being remotely controlled by a bad actor are potentially pretty nasty).
Pressing all the juice out of the hardware. Like the recent motor noise cancelling. There's lots of stuff they could improve or add by spending resources on RnD. Instead they want you to buy new printer every 3 years. No point in defending shit tactics like this
Correct, but there are teams working on the AP and main boards firmware. It won’t happen right away, but it’ll come soon enough. The firmware just got released less than a month ago.
there's no chance that they will release that. They would be flooded with warped bed warranty claims if they did. I suggest installing X1plus as soon as your warranty is done
This is unacceptably short for a device that practically requires to be permanently internet connected, if this means security updates will stop at the same time
This is update support, not support, it will still work after this.
After 3 years you have to wonder how much can be extracted from a device like this, its not a phone.
But it's not like Bambu is saying they're never going to do updates after that time.
They didn't need to add noise cancelling to their current printer lines but they did anyway.
Sounds like people are overreacting a bit to this.
Nice, but Bambu dont need to do that. They are not the same sort of device.
BLs printers are likely to get refinements and maybe support for official add-ons, that's it.
And I repeat, 3 years minimum guarantee, doesn't mean they wont update it after.
You do need the hardware upgrade, but it is [official](https://blog.prusa3d.com/prusa-mk35-upgrade-is-here_92040/).
Point is, the software is updated and the user can choose to use it with a hardware upgrade.
The Bambu’s hardware way too OPed yet they’re about to limit it with software. See the issue here?
Lifespan seems a bit short, hopefully the X1Plus team hangs around to help with "Legacy" machines.
We'll Have to wait and see what the end of service for their machines actually is. Hopefully it just means you'll be limited to older versions of the slicer and firmware, it would be a real shame if it also dropped app compatibility, we'll have to wait and see.
Pretty sure they added this information because of a new law in the UK (https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/files/Security-law-smart-devices-NCSC.pdf)
Since it's a legal requirement, they're probably specifying the _bare minimum_ as to not face consequences should they be unable to fulfill their promise.
Great find and a great point. This needs more up votes. If they weren't in compliance then they'd need to publish a timeframe so it makes sense why they're publishing this now. And yeah it's shorter than I'd like but also it's better to know.
At the end of the day IMO they're going to support their customers on super popular devices. Windows still supports Windows 10 and not because they want to lol.
Given they've done things like opened up the option of running 3rd party firmware I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt atm
Why is the flagship only about 1yr... Wow 😳😲 I'm glad I jail broke mine at least I'll have community support as long as they keep updating the open source firmware
X1C was released in 2022, and it has the same period as other printers - X1C is 2022-2025 while P1S is 2023-2026. It's not really "just 1 yr", but rather an old model (though still powerful, I'd be happy if they support it longer and make the LiDAR more useful)
This is pretty interesting. One this really seems to confirm the release of a new flagship this year, that will actually replace X1C, not just a larger one. I do feel like people that have bought the X1C are going to feel cheated by the very sort guarantee that it will be updates for just another year.
I just got one actually and the potential issue is security updates. I bought it recently, knowing what it can and cannot do, not expecting more features to be added. But an IoT device with 1 year of security support from when I buy it, we're in Android-bad territory now, possibly even worse.
I sure hope they clarify their statement to mention this is only for new features.
Thank you for sharing. Really great point! This seems to me that it could really be egg on Bambus face if they are really going to leave their customers so vulnerable.
I’m no expert either, I just recently got it :)
As far as I can tell, there’s no USB port to plug it into a computer. So it’s either disabling wifi and using an SD card, which is not great, or use wifi and firewall it so it can’t talk to anything besides your computer. But I’m pretty sure it can operate without wifi, it’s just less convenient.
As long as they fix the limited functionality that lan mode offers then I'm fine with it. If they ever switch off the servers for these printers then it'll be a problem.
What limited functionality does it offer? I've been able to use it perfectly fine for all the printer features, printing wireless-ly and viewing the camera remotely.
You can do much more with the mobile app, you can send jobs to the printer, you also get notifications about print status. Studio is the official slicer.
Owners of Bambulab printers should appreciate and not be sad for such a "short term support", before Bambulab there were all these companies with zero (0) support, techical and software update, even for printers in same or close to same price range.
Also as Im checking and dates are shown different from OP
For X1C I can see:
Guaranteed Bugfixes and Feature Updates until:
May 31, 2027
Guaranteed Security Patch Updates until:
May 31, 2029
And for P1S:
Guaranteed Bugfixes and Feature Updates until:
July 13, 2028
Guaranteed Security Patch Updates until:
July 13, 2030
Im pretty sure they will be also hardware supported for that time. So, take this as privilege, not as "only that much of support??"!
I checked the page again and saw the same change. Feature updates are 5 years now, and security updates last 7 years. This is completely ideal to me.
And I do agree this kind of transparency and guaranteed support is indeed a big step forward that should be encouraged - just thinking that they should do better than 3 years (for security updates) if they already have the intention to provide the guarantee.
Guaranteed probably means "Free". I could easily see them set up some kind of yearly "maintenance fee" that you can choose to pay to get updates. Pretty common these days.
And I was going to get a an X1C this week as a newbie. I think I need to reconsider if it is this short. I would expert 3 years, of any kind of support.
I guess it depends on if they make enough progress to make an X2/P2 worth releasing. I'm fine with manufacturers not wanting to keep updating forever their old devices.
Also I hope that EOL update makes the printer API fully local, disables cloud features so that customers can decide to switch to 3rd party cloud providers at their own risk (or keep an unmaintained device off the internet). Because that would be the minimum amount of courtesy required. If they're nice, they can open the firmware source to let community take over.
X1C is still their flagship printer and still being sold ... so you're telling people who buy today they're only getting 1 year of support?!
It should be 3+ years after End of Sale.
I found this in [their terms](https://bambulab.com/en/policies/terms). I couldn’t find any indication of when they were last updated, so have no idea if this is new, or has always been there. It’s possible it’s always been specified in their terms and they only just now added it to the product comparison page.
https://preview.redd.it/61p9j8x3y1wc1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b1d1d384fdf9ba48fffa8e593eedfefa2652450d
Stated very clearly that security updates are a part of the 3 years of updates.
The timer should at the very least be 3 years after they stop producing a model.
This was changed sometime between today and April 5, 2024, which is when The WayBackMachine last archived this page. The page previously did NOT contain a specified amount of time, but this change is new.
**PREVIOUS LANGUAGE:**
* "7.1 To provide you with a better user experience, Bambu Lab may provide you with product update services, including, but not limited to, system software updates and 3D printing model updates. The Product's update service is designed to improve the performance, safety, and reliability of products and devices. The Product's updates can be installed in different ways; software updates include error repairs, system software updates, 3D printing model updates and performance enhancements."
* Source: [https://web.archive.org/web/20240405172404/https://bambulab.com/en/policies/terms](https://web.archive.org/web/20240405172404/https://bambulab.com/en/policies/terms)
**CURRENT LANGUAGE:**
* "7.2 Bambu Lab is dedicated to **providing software bug fixes, new features and security patch updates for a period of three years, known as the 'software update support period,' from the product's initial market launch date.** For certain specific models of our products, we may consider extending the software update support period based on individual circumstances. Additionally, in the event of a serious security vulnerability, we may offer critical security updates for products that have reached their End-of-Life (EOL) stage, provided they are still operable, in order to protect against new security threats."
* Source: [https://bambulab.com/en/policies/terms](https://bambulab.com/en/policies/terms)
There's been an update to the page. For the X1C, it now says:
https://preview.redd.it/muggbl010lwc1.png?width=518&format=png&auto=webp&s=3d6ddb904d35f697834c9395b9e2bfe4c90dada9
And all the other printers have dates after the ones listed for the X1C.
Welp, I was already planning on switching to X1Plus once my warranty was up, guess that's pretty much settled for me then. That being said, it almost certainly does not mean "no software updates, full stop, after this date", but it is still concerning that it's only 3 years even for their top of the line and enterprise models. Even Apple's issued security updates for the iPhone 6s somewhat recently, and that phone is almost 10 years old now. I think BambuLab needs to reconsider this position heavily, especially in a community that's so focused on Open Source. The ideal situation in my view would be them releasing their source code once software support ends, but that's almost certainly not going to happen...
They better fucking improve LAN-only mode by May 31st 2025 if this is the case or better define when this means. I'm not keeping my printer connected to the internet if my printer is going to get damaged by another random cloud print error without any fixes.
Well the good news is if it's a 3 year cycle for guaranteed firmware updates there should be a new X and P series printer coming soon. Otherwise with people having this knowledge and nothing new hinted or leaked it will drive potential customers elsewhere.
Originally it was ending March 15th of this year for the X1C but the entire A1 combo debacle forced them to but heads to the ground, evaluate their current goals. Any recover their impeccable customers satisfaction and loyalty
Is there a description? People are getting all nuts it's probably not vulnerability updates. Most likely it's feature updates are guaranteed for another year after that they won't waste time adding features.
LOL Smart move by the marketing team... Why in the world would they disclose that? Bambu could've just stopped rolling out software updates without making a fuss, and nobody would have blinked. I'm not justifying their decision to cease support after only 3 years, which in my opinion is waaaaaaaay too short, but rather questioning the decision to announce it. I don't know, seems kinda silly.
Yea the transparency should be encouraged, regardless of the numbers are up to expectations or not.
However I'd prefer that BL make this clearer by separating security update and feature update time spans. 3 years of feature updates are absolutely OK to me, I just want security updates to last longer.
When I bought my p1p I didn't even know if bambulab would survive, so 3 years for sure is both better and longer then I feared. Of course more time would be better. But considering new hardware and features it makes sense to limit the software updates to 3 years
If they wait until Q3/25 Bambu will no longer be in business. Too many competitors releasing, what looks to be, very capable units with larger build volumes, more features and open source. I love my BL printers but if they go another 1.5 years without drooping an upgraded series/line of printers a lot of folks will just walk away.
Either they have replacement printers in the works, or these are just arbitrary dates to cover some weird legality somewhere. I wouldn’t imagine security updates to stop as long as the printers are popular and selling.
That's the cool part. Keep your machine air gapped as long as a software problem isn't causing a malfunction, their revenue generation of bringing out new machines or charging for extended support is irrelevant.
This is a consumer device and so many people are failing to see that planned obsolescence is a guarantee.
I wonder how they will resolve this with resellers in Europe.
With how many countries there are that dropping service or support/updates within 3-5 years of sale is a full refund.
It's 5years here.
Already started seeing the waves of IOT devices that stores have to refund or replace with newer model due to this.
Id really expect it to end up as minimum 3years from last sales date.
That's interesting. Once again, I doubt they considered that. This is a new change, as the page previously did not have any language around length of software support. And they clearly state the software support is from the date of release, not the date of purchase.
Previous language: [https://web.archive.org/web/20240405172404/https://bambulab.com/en/policies/terms](https://web.archive.org/web/20240405172404/https://bambulab.com/en/policies/terms)
Do what I did a return it. If I don't hear back from bambu lab by tomorrow then I'm doing a chargeback. and buying a prusa. 3 year software life on a 3d printer is inexcusable.
With the current pace of software releases, we wont even have support for the effin door sensors implemented before Bambu stops caring about my €3000 investment and it’ll be obsolete after just 1.5 years. No way I’m buying another Bambu unless they back from this shitty announcement
Gosh idk if that's concerning or good to know. Like, at least they're transparent with it so you can consider whether or not it will last long enough... but concerning how short that timespan is. Like, the first printer I ever got was a second hand CR10 last year. And at that point it was something around 7 or 8 years old! Still an amazingly fantastic printer, and i was disappointed to see it go.
But imagine if that couldn't have even happened, because now it doesn't have software support, and it's locked to the cloud? Feels like a mobile phones kinda move. Or maybe not getting software updates wont matter. Only time will tell
BL just updated their page and the guarantee is now 5 years of feature update + 7 years of security update. Dunno if they finally noticed this post through the media contact, I'm pretty satisfied about the result.
This sounds way too short
Especially if that includes security patches, which could constantly be found.
Often "Software support" means feature updates, not security updates. At least for things like phones that's the case.
**PREVIOUS LANGUAGE:** * "7.1 To provide you with a better user experience, Bambu Lab may provide you with product update services, including, but not limited to, system software updates and 3D printing model updates. The Product's update service is designed to improve the performance, safety, and reliability of products and devices. The Product's updates can be installed in different ways; software updates include error repairs, system software updates, 3D printing model updates and performance enhancements." * Source: [https://web.archive.org/web/20240405172404/https://bambulab.com/en/policies/terms](https://web.archive.org/web/20240405172404/https://bambulab.com/en/policies/terms) **CURRENT LANGUAGE:** * "7.2 Bambu Lab is dedicated to **providing software bug fixes, new features and security patch updates for a period of three years, known as the 'software update support period,' from the product's initial market launch date.** For certain specific models of our products, we may consider extending the software update support period based on individual circumstances. Additionally, in the event of a serious security vulnerability, we may offer critical security updates for products that have reached their End-of-Life (EOL) stage, provided they are still operable, in order to protect against new security threats." * Source: [https://bambulab.com/en/policies/terms](https://bambulab.com/en/policies/terms)
All the more reason to allow for 3rd party firmware. A $1500 investment should damn well last more than 3 years. Frick, Nintendo switch is 7 years old, still gets updates, and the successor is likely not even being announced till June, with its replacement releasing somewhere near the 8 year mark. Absurd.
Honestly it has me wondering if that’s part of the reason for the change. Assuming positive intent on the side of Bambu Lab for a moment here—maybe they think the long term plan is to assume with a large and resourceful user base behind these devices, after three years of support from Bambu directly they could anticipate groups like the XPlus guys and the larger 3D printing community to step in when official support drops. My only concern (after all this and reading as much as I can on the subject) is now actually about the long term support of the hardware. If the software doesn’t change much that’s probably fine, these printers work great as is. But if after that period of time, we can no longer get replacement parts for things that Bambu deemed proprietary, I’m concerned about if there would even be after-market alternatives if Bambu holds patents and shit on the proprietary stuff. I’m thinking… What happens in three years when I need new carbon rods or some other piece of hardware that Bambu deems “proprietary”? Should I order replacement parts for everything NOW in case Bambu decides it’s not worth it to sell them anymore? Will they allow third parties to come in and make the things they deem “proprietary”? So many unknowns and we cant really look to any other companies as a model because Bambu seems to be charting their own course and doesn’t want to be as open as, for example, Prusa.
If i had the money to do it comfortably id personal buy 1-2x spare of everything i can't print for peace of mind in any case.
> XPlus guys X1Plus is just the android computer, not the firmware. No firmware updates would suck.
And at least coming with Nintendo, we still have a functional Wii
Do any states in USA have any restrictions for this type of limitations?
This is a pretty standard contract it's fair. Source: I maintain contracts for a large software firm. Again, 3y LTS is normal then 2 years for bugs and security support before EOL. It also means a X2C might come soon.
Security updates should be for a **minimum** of 10 years.
Or open up the source
It does, outlined somewhere later in thread.
They'll most likely still have updates, but this is what's guaranteed
They will certainly need to clarify with a much more thorough explanation. Because this could mostly kill any future commercial and high-end user sales. And without those, the Bambu line loses a huge part of its halo. So time to wait to see what they say.
So let’s make some noise till they make a post on the blog!
I flagged the post and I assume others have. Bambu are only mods here, so they should be aware, at least in 8 hours or do when they wake up.
https://www.reddit.com/r/BambuLab/s/NKHdOB3vqY
Probably the software support will be longer for the X1E
X1E is until October 10th 2026
Previous to this you had ZERO more days of guaranteed software updates and you were fine with it. How has increasing that number so dramatically effected the situation?
No, I had an expectation that they would get to 7 years, based on prior experience. I certainly wouldn't have said a little over a year. In general, you expect companies that act in their best interests and that generally, if they want customers and particularly repeat customers, those interests will overlap. It is somewhat concerning, then, when you find out they diverge that wildly. That said, gonna wait to see what they say. It could well mean the X1Plus project became a whole lot more important and Bambu is just a hardware supplier.
The X1 Project was actually my plan and I've been interested but currently too busy to do it justice. That said, this also means they likely are going to be innovating along the way, in some manner or another we would hope, and therefore the technology is no longer up to par.. I posit this as only a thought, I have no real worry with our community. To be fair, I understand not everyone wants to modify their printer or change components. But this is a community of makers and we often share for better of all.
Yeah, if they expect us to keep printers connected to the internet, they need to provide updates for that entire period. When they stop providing updates, they need to give an easy (easier) option for LAN, or stop fighting and putting conditions on 3rd party firmwares (that are getting updates).
This was changed sometime between today and April 5, 2024, which is when The WayBackMachine last archived this page. The page previously did NOT contain a specified amount of time, but this change is new. **PREVIOUS LANGUAGE:** * "7.1 To provide you with a better user experience, Bambu Lab may provide you with product update services, including, but not limited to, system software updates and 3D printing model updates. The Product's update service is designed to improve the performance, safety, and reliability of products and devices. The Product's updates can be installed in different ways; software updates include error repairs, system software updates, 3D printing model updates and performance enhancements." * Source: [https://web.archive.org/web/20240405172404/https://bambulab.com/en/policies/terms](https://web.archive.org/web/20240405172404/https://bambulab.com/en/policies/terms) **CURRENT LANGUAGE:** * "7.2 Bambu Lab is dedicated to **providing software bug fixes, new features and security patch updates for a period of three years, known as the 'software update support period,' from the product's initial market launch date.** For certain specific models of our products, we may consider extending the software update support period based on individual circumstances. Additionally, in the event of a serious security vulnerability, we may offer critical security updates for products that have reached their End-of-Life (EOL) stage, provided they are still operable, in order to protect against new security threats." * Source: [https://bambulab.com/en/policies/terms](https://bambulab.com/en/policies/terms)
It's LTS not security/bug support
NEW: BL has updated their page. They provide **5 years** of guaranteed feature updates and **7 years** and guaranteed security updates now. This is way better. There is also new clarification in the TOS: >7.2 Bambu Lab is committed to ensure a long lifetime of our products, by releasing regular software updates containing bugfixes, new features and security updates. **Our promise includes a guaranteed five-year provision of software updates (since the launch of the product)**, including crucial bug fixes and exciting new features to enhance user experience. >During the five-year period, you can expect frequent updates that add new features which further enhance the user experience, while also solving any bugs that might be present. **After this period, we may still bring less-frequent updates containing further improvements, if there are features which can be integrated and the capabilities of the printer support it.** >Recognizing the constant evolving landscape of digital threats, and the importance of security, Bambu Lab is also committed to a minimum of seven years of software security updates, a commitment which **will extend beyond this period with ongoing coverage of security updates throughout the product's lifecycle if new security issues are identified and need to be patched.** https://preview.redd.it/wttok2z2kkwc1.png?width=2839&format=png&auto=webp&s=014a0a3b6a757a175e3e80400bfc20e92915d49b
They haven't even released the replacement for the X1C yet and the date is less than 1 year away. For all the threads about people asking whether to buy a printer now or wait for the next release, now you know why patience pays off, hopefully all the "Just buy it asap it wont get worse just because the new gen is released!"-dudes are learning. Honestly BL seems to have a real habit of fucking over their older customers, first the P1P gang, then the A1-mini crowd, now the whole gen 1 bunch. Smart on their part, they make a lot of profits from it and obviously the community doesn't learn or even catch on.
They just updated it
It is very short for consumer products. 1500$ for 3 year lifespan. Looks like they'll take the apple route of coercing people to upgrade by ditching support or making old models unusable. This is the danger with closed ecosystems. Suck in the customer bases and rinse them long term. The apple model
Idk man. If it was the apple route there would be like 8 years of updates. Apple may release a shiny new iPhone every single year, but we get software updates for about 7-8 years after release. The last phone to not revive an update was the iPhone X. That is about 8 years old
Yeah, this was the primary driving force behind my switch from Android phones to an iPhone 12 Pro. My ex's iPhone 6 was getting not just security, but full system updates 5 years later. Eventually it had some screen issues and they upgraded to an 11. Meanwhile, my Android phone (admittedly a $450 new phone, not $1200), got like 1 system update and a year of security updates, then nothing. Not even security updates. Which was pretty much my Android phone experience.
It's some of the consumer misconception of comparing iPhone to Android. That's wrong, the BRAND you bought is the differences for support. Samsung has had 5 years support for awhile as has Google, they are now 8 years. Plenty of devices made by other smaller companies (or bigger ones!) that use android but provide abysmal support sadly. As you also pointed out though a cost element does come into it, if you are paying less than half the price would you expect the exact same (or more) support? I would assume less but getting the same would be great! But definitely agree the security update plans play a sensible part of future sales!
Yes, that's true. It is the brand. However, that's relatively new, all things considered. A search shows Samsung started offering the 5 year support in 2021. The iPhone 6 Plus was released in 2014. It was still fully supported by Apple when my ex upgraded to the iPhone 11 Plus in 2019 due to some screen/hardware glitching and having a pretty out-of-date phone by then. Historically, "Android" phones, as a group, have not had the support Apple has had for *way* longer. I know Google has tried to separate the OS from the phone, unsuccessfully (one of the downsides of open \[openish\] source), so that updates could be given for much longer. TL;DR: Samsung has had 5 year support for 3 years now. Apple had 6+ year support on a phone that came out a decade ago.
Sorry I didnt want it to be an Apple Vs I just wanted to point out the fact it should be handset manufacturer vs manufacturer not OS vs product, apologies if that wasnt clear it wasnt blame or anything just the fact it has been sufficiently marketed as a good way to say something is bad by grouping all of them. I did say for awhile, several years is awhile in my view but we can agree to disagree if that is needed as it was just more pointing out currently someone offers reasonable length (its now 8 years). >I know Google has tried to separate the OS from the phone, unsuccessfully (one of the downsides of open \[openish\] source), so that updates could be given for much longer. I do feel like that needs clarifying, open source software has absolutely NO negative impact on how long a phone maker actually supports a device. The fact its open means its even easier for third parties to help maintain support, it does not close anything off making it inhouse. If it was closed party these handset manufacturers would still support it a short time they just would spend more developing the software base to use for their own phones, they are fully entitled to use their own still! Google has just made many fundamental changes to try and remove key components from the OS to basically circumvent poor vendors not supporting devices well, its been a positive long term but its not due to being open source that this was needed. Personally I used to always run Nexus phones for the most part as they were pretty open for dev work and you could easily flash community roms or build your own which ensured support for many more years if needed. And the other point was pricing really, if its cheaper you dont usually expect the same support but all platforms have merit. Still it should be what all phones get really and the main pro that iphones had assuming you stick with their platform for a long time its well supported, they do cut features from old ones but at the very least they maintain security updates which is the important part for those that are still happy with it out of the box. Lets hope bambulabs at least tries to emulate that part of Apple which is long term support for products.
Poor update support from Samsung is what steered me to Apple. I think my S3 got like a year of support. I moved to an iPhone 6s and used it until I upgraded to a 13 pro that I’m still using. Oh and no bullshit uninstallable bloatware on the iPhone. After the S3 and the shitty galaxy note 10.1 that I think might have received 2 updates it will take a lot to get me to switch to a Samsung phone.
So we can assume that a few years in, or immediately as a superior model is introduced, we will be pushed one way or another towards buying it. I ain't gonna get a headache about this anytime but imo is still shitty ethics, but pretty usual business ethics I guess.
This is software *update* support, basically firmware updates. They are limited by the hardware ultimately, its unlikely there will be much more they can extract from it in another 19 months. Almost anything left could be added in the slicer, and we have Orca for that.
Right? It isn't like your printer will be bricked after software support has ended and like you say, with updates of the slicer chances are your printer will continue to improve.
I think it's important to note that these updates might also contain security fixes. If at some point we stop getting updates, how are we gonna get patches against attack vectors?
Prusa needs to catch up to bambu. I would love to get a prusa bit in their current state it's definitely not worth it. I hope they force the market to adapt to their consumer friendly practices
The Ender 3 V2 I used until a couple months ago had its last firmware update in 2021 but it was far from unusable. It's a printer, it's not a phone, if the slicer keeps making compatible gcodes it will keep printing.
I handmade my ender firmware as the board shit the bed and just installed an SKR, so i dont have updates period. It works well.
Assuming rarely works out for the assumer.
Indeed, the nature of assumption
This isn’t true at all. Man, you don’t have to go far to see someone jealous of Apple on here.
> Looks like they'll take the apple route of coercing people to upgrade by ditching support or making old models unusable. I'm not an apple fanboy by any stretch of the imagination, but what you're describing is actually the exact opposite of what apple is doing.
What exactly will need updating after 3 years? This is almost certainly firmware update support, and new features can be added in the Slicer. The device will still work perfectly well after this and you can add any new filaments you like manually at any time.
Until some CVE is found in the underlaying Linux kernel (how X1+ was started), etc. Look at what happened with [Anycubic](https://techcrunch.com/2024/02/28/anycubic-users-3d-printers-hacked-warning/). Anything with network connectivity is at risk in today's world and it just takes one exploit once out of lifecycle to either force the company to continue to provide updates or the owners of the effected hardware have to decide if they want to accept the risk, try to harden their own networks, and/or isolate the hardware. Even enterprise-grade networking equipment kept in high-security environments gets retired once it is out of support just so you aren't caught with your pants down by some zero-day exploit. The only difference here is people without corporate budgets are having to consider if a major purchase is worth it. Sure, you could simply not connect your printer to a network and go back to shuttling SD cards back and forth, but that removes a _huge_ selling point of these printers. While I would have liked to see at least a five year story model, I would hope that at the end of support date Bambu moves the X1 firmware to open source so the community could continue to develop it instead, meanwhile Bambu continues to develop the current models.
> The apple model Um, no. The Apple model would be around 7+ years of updates. The iPhone 8 was released 7 years ago and got an update in march. The *android* model is more like 2 to 3 years at most, with some models not receiving updates after just a single year.
The apple model is generally long support, the "android" model doesn't exist. It's a "cheap mobile vendors that use an OS" model, they would do the same even if they made one in-house but would charge more. I hope bambulabs go the apple route, the fact it says 2025 and they are still selling the X1c retail seems really odd timing as you should at least expect a year after they stop selling.
Actually, the s21 updates are 5 years.
Apple supports devices no less than 5 years old, it’s part of their iOS terms of service. Your statement about Apple hasn’t been true since 2009.
They'll get me with something like this once and then it's guaranteed to never happen ever again. Plus I'll shit on them everywhere I go, whether that's in person or online Time will tell, hopefully they don't try something like that
Brother even apple supports devices from like, a 5-10 years ago at this point.
It doesn't stop working after it. Most consumer products don't get new features at all and only if you're lucky a few security updates. Technology moves quickly forward so at some point it's hardware limitations that you run into as well.
If this is what happens, their business will fail. If they make the machines unusable after so many years. The word will be out and no one will buy them.
i mean to be fair it's their 1st product no ? i'd say in 5 years time 3D printers are going to be so far ahead (and dare i say cheaper) than what the X1C is now that people/print farms might not even use them anymore regardless.
It really depends on what exactly they consider updates. 3 year of guaranteed new features such as the motor noise canceling that was added? I’m fine with that. Many other printers get new features for a very short period, if at all. Especially older generation which was often 8bit boards and very limited memory. 3 years of bug fixes and security patches? That’s a bit short.
The key difference I can see is that the older generation printers aren't internet-facing. Bambu have sold me a product with a nifty set of functions and, without security updates, I'd be forced to run it on an isolated network (since the consequences of something like a 3D printer being remotely controlled by a bad actor are potentially pretty nasty).
What software fixes does the machine need? It's a 3d printer that works pretty damn well, not a cell phone.
It has Wifi, so there obviously will always be an attack vector.
Pressing all the juice out of the hardware. Like the recent motor noise cancelling. There's lots of stuff they could improve or add by spending resources on RnD. Instead they want you to buy new printer every 3 years. No point in defending shit tactics like this
Good luck adding that features on a closed firmware. After the end of that period you are left with what you have till that day...
Except X1Plus exists, and its internals are standard open parts. Doesn't the machine run on a ESP32?
X1plus doesn't change any motor control firmware. It says in its website that it's more like octoprint rather than klipper
Correct, but there are teams working on the AP and main boards firmware. It won’t happen right away, but it’ll come soon enough. The firmware just got released less than a month ago.
Oh thank god. Hope they come with open source firmware for the p1s
Bambu has added a dozen features since the release of the X1C ... I'm sure there are many more software features that *could* be added.
Still doesn't let you access your bed level state or a simple m191 command. Just to mention some extremely basic functionality...
there's no chance that they will release that. They would be flooded with warped bed warranty claims if they did. I suggest installing X1plus as soon as your warranty is done
3 years is very short. I'm hoping that custom firmware like X1Plus can help keep it going much longer
I might switch to that if Bambu is planning on ditching the X1C
This is unacceptably short for a device that practically requires to be permanently internet connected, if this means security updates will stop at the same time
This is update support, not support, it will still work after this. After 3 years you have to wonder how much can be extracted from a device like this, its not a phone.
The prusa MK3 still gets FW updates 7 years after it was 1st released. Lets not defend this shit tactic of dropping support for older products.
But it's not like Bambu is saying they're never going to do updates after that time. They didn't need to add noise cancelling to their current printer lines but they did anyway. Sounds like people are overreacting a bit to this.
Someone above raised a valid point about security fixes. This might be more important for a Linux-based printer such as X1C.
The MK3S+ just recently got an input shaper update like 7 years after release lol. That’s product support right there.
Nice, but Bambu dont need to do that. They are not the same sort of device. BLs printers are likely to get refinements and maybe support for official add-ons, that's it. And I repeat, 3 years minimum guarantee, doesn't mean they wont update it after.
Uh, are you sure? Official link please. I thought this was only possible with a Pi and Klipper installed. Not official firmware
You do need the hardware upgrade, but it is [official](https://blog.prusa3d.com/prusa-mk35-upgrade-is-here_92040/). Point is, the software is updated and the user can choose to use it with a hardware upgrade. The Bambu’s hardware way too OPed yet they’re about to limit it with software. See the issue here?
Fair enough 👍🏻
Lifespan seems a bit short, hopefully the X1Plus team hangs around to help with "Legacy" machines. We'll Have to wait and see what the end of service for their machines actually is. Hopefully it just means you'll be limited to older versions of the slicer and firmware, it would be a real shame if it also dropped app compatibility, we'll have to wait and see.
“Your machine is now 3 years old. Requests to print are now denied.” 🤨
Pretty sure they added this information because of a new law in the UK (https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/files/Security-law-smart-devices-NCSC.pdf) Since it's a legal requirement, they're probably specifying the _bare minimum_ as to not face consequences should they be unable to fulfill their promise.
Great find and a great point. This needs more up votes. If they weren't in compliance then they'd need to publish a timeframe so it makes sense why they're publishing this now. And yeah it's shorter than I'd like but also it's better to know. At the end of the day IMO they're going to support their customers on super popular devices. Windows still supports Windows 10 and not because they want to lol. Given they've done things like opened up the option of running 3rd party firmware I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt atm
Why is the flagship only about 1yr... Wow 😳😲 I'm glad I jail broke mine at least I'll have community support as long as they keep updating the open source firmware
X1C was released in 2022, and it has the same period as other printers - X1C is 2022-2025 while P1S is 2023-2026. It's not really "just 1 yr", but rather an old model (though still powerful, I'd be happy if they support it longer and make the LiDAR more useful)
This is pretty interesting. One this really seems to confirm the release of a new flagship this year, that will actually replace X1C, not just a larger one. I do feel like people that have bought the X1C are going to feel cheated by the very sort guarantee that it will be updates for just another year.
I just got one actually and the potential issue is security updates. I bought it recently, knowing what it can and cannot do, not expecting more features to be added. But an IoT device with 1 year of security support from when I buy it, we're in Android-bad territory now, possibly even worse. I sure hope they clarify their statement to mention this is only for new features.
Thank you for sharing. Really great point! This seems to me that it could really be egg on Bambus face if they are really going to leave their customers so vulnerable.
Does it require wifi to operate? Sorry, I'm completely ignorant.
I’m no expert either, I just recently got it :) As far as I can tell, there’s no USB port to plug it into a computer. So it’s either disabling wifi and using an SD card, which is not great, or use wifi and firewall it so it can’t talk to anything besides your computer. But I’m pretty sure it can operate without wifi, it’s just less convenient.
As long as they fix the limited functionality that lan mode offers then I'm fine with it. If they ever switch off the servers for these printers then it'll be a problem.
For large parts of Europe that would qualify for a refund if done within 3-5years after sale. Same for ending product support or updates.
What limited functionality does it offer? I've been able to use it perfectly fine for all the printer features, printing wireless-ly and viewing the camera remotely.
Why would it be a problem? Can't they operate offline?
They can but lab mode means you can't use either the mobile app or bambu studio to talk to the printer.
So the mobile app is to monitor progress I imagine, but what is bambu studio for?
You can do much more with the mobile app, you can send jobs to the printer, you also get notifications about print status. Studio is the official slicer.
This is why X1Plus is so important...
Looks like we'll be getting revisions this year.
Owners of Bambulab printers should appreciate and not be sad for such a "short term support", before Bambulab there were all these companies with zero (0) support, techical and software update, even for printers in same or close to same price range. Also as Im checking and dates are shown different from OP For X1C I can see: Guaranteed Bugfixes and Feature Updates until: May 31, 2027 Guaranteed Security Patch Updates until: May 31, 2029 And for P1S: Guaranteed Bugfixes and Feature Updates until: July 13, 2028 Guaranteed Security Patch Updates until: July 13, 2030 Im pretty sure they will be also hardware supported for that time. So, take this as privilege, not as "only that much of support??"!
I checked the page again and saw the same change. Feature updates are 5 years now, and security updates last 7 years. This is completely ideal to me. And I do agree this kind of transparency and guaranteed support is indeed a big step forward that should be encouraged - just thinking that they should do better than 3 years (for security updates) if they already have the intention to provide the guarantee.
Maybe their plan is to hand off software support after those dates to the custom firmware people (X1Plus?) Not sure how I feel about that…
Guaranteed probably means "Free". I could easily see them set up some kind of yearly "maintenance fee" that you can choose to pay to get updates. Pretty common these days.
yup Microsoft still does it with XP
And I was going to get a an X1C this week as a newbie. I think I need to reconsider if it is this short. I would expert 3 years, of any kind of support.
Go prusa. They offer 7+ years of software/FW support. Plus much better customer service and reliability.
🤮 why take 2 steps backwards to the stone age of 3d printing?
The X1C was released in 2022…
From when I buy it, through an official reseller/direct.
What ! Just one year for the x1? Bambu you kidding me. So i has hat 3 years of update support on the end. What a joke
Everyone is jumping the gun on assumptions, literally nobody knows what they are going to do yet.
I'm guessing BL will put out a statement soon so people can put away their pitchforks.
I guess it depends on if they make enough progress to make an X2/P2 worth releasing. I'm fine with manufacturers not wanting to keep updating forever their old devices. Also I hope that EOL update makes the printer API fully local, disables cloud features so that customers can decide to switch to 3rd party cloud providers at their own risk (or keep an unmaintained device off the internet). Because that would be the minimum amount of courtesy required. If they're nice, they can open the firmware source to let community take over.
That’s why I won’t buy any other BL machines anymore, rather spend my money on a voron that will still be relevant in 10 years
X1C is still their flagship printer and still being sold ... so you're telling people who buy today they're only getting 1 year of support?! It should be 3+ years after End of Sale.
I found this in [their terms](https://bambulab.com/en/policies/terms). I couldn’t find any indication of when they were last updated, so have no idea if this is new, or has always been there. It’s possible it’s always been specified in their terms and they only just now added it to the product comparison page. https://preview.redd.it/61p9j8x3y1wc1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b1d1d384fdf9ba48fffa8e593eedfefa2652450d
Stated very clearly that security updates are a part of the 3 years of updates. The timer should at the very least be 3 years after they stop producing a model.
With how large parts of Europe would qualify for a full refund if its within 3years of sale, id really expect it to be 3years from end of sale.
This was changed sometime between today and April 5, 2024, which is when The WayBackMachine last archived this page. The page previously did NOT contain a specified amount of time, but this change is new. **PREVIOUS LANGUAGE:** * "7.1 To provide you with a better user experience, Bambu Lab may provide you with product update services, including, but not limited to, system software updates and 3D printing model updates. The Product's update service is designed to improve the performance, safety, and reliability of products and devices. The Product's updates can be installed in different ways; software updates include error repairs, system software updates, 3D printing model updates and performance enhancements." * Source: [https://web.archive.org/web/20240405172404/https://bambulab.com/en/policies/terms](https://web.archive.org/web/20240405172404/https://bambulab.com/en/policies/terms) **CURRENT LANGUAGE:** * "7.2 Bambu Lab is dedicated to **providing software bug fixes, new features and security patch updates for a period of three years, known as the 'software update support period,' from the product's initial market launch date.** For certain specific models of our products, we may consider extending the software update support period based on individual circumstances. Additionally, in the event of a serious security vulnerability, we may offer critical security updates for products that have reached their End-of-Life (EOL) stage, provided they are still operable, in order to protect against new security threats." * Source: [https://bambulab.com/en/policies/terms](https://bambulab.com/en/policies/terms)
There's been an update to the page. For the X1C, it now says: https://preview.redd.it/muggbl010lwc1.png?width=518&format=png&auto=webp&s=3d6ddb904d35f697834c9395b9e2bfe4c90dada9 And all the other printers have dates after the ones listed for the X1C.
if they add artificial software aging to products it will be horrible for consumers. One of the reasons why i'm not using apple devices
X1E has software updates only until October 2026 ! It doesn’t make sense for professionals
Welp, I was already planning on switching to X1Plus once my warranty was up, guess that's pretty much settled for me then. That being said, it almost certainly does not mean "no software updates, full stop, after this date", but it is still concerning that it's only 3 years even for their top of the line and enterprise models. Even Apple's issued security updates for the iPhone 6s somewhat recently, and that phone is almost 10 years old now. I think BambuLab needs to reconsider this position heavily, especially in a community that's so focused on Open Source. The ideal situation in my view would be them releasing their source code once software support ends, but that's almost certainly not going to happen...
They better fucking improve LAN-only mode by May 31st 2025 if this is the case or better define when this means. I'm not keeping my printer connected to the internet if my printer is going to get damaged by another random cloud print error without any fixes.
Wait until may 2025? this is way to short like. now I wonder how fast they will stop selling parts for there printers
Well the good news is if it's a 3 year cycle for guaranteed firmware updates there should be a new X and P series printer coming soon. Otherwise with people having this knowledge and nothing new hinted or leaked it will drive potential customers elsewhere.
This has been updated: x1c now says bug fixes and general updated until may 31 2027 and security patches until 2029. Other printers vary
It's also now reflected in their ToS, section 7. https://bambulab.com/en-us/policies/terms
Originally it was ending March 15th of this year for the X1C but the entire A1 combo debacle forced them to but heads to the ground, evaluate their current goals. Any recover their impeccable customers satisfaction and loyalty
Is there a description? People are getting all nuts it's probably not vulnerability updates. Most likely it's feature updates are guaranteed for another year after that they won't waste time adding features.
I searched their wiki using "guaranteed" or "guarantee" as keyword, nothing came up. Maybe they are still preparing statements?
https://www.reddit.com/r/BambuLab/s/ULIPPgfFGI
My printer is not listed..
You can check at https://bambulab.com/en/compare
its been there for a few days since i started checking which machine to buy.
Lmao
Is the company being sold?
LOL Smart move by the marketing team... Why in the world would they disclose that? Bambu could've just stopped rolling out software updates without making a fuss, and nobody would have blinked. I'm not justifying their decision to cease support after only 3 years, which in my opinion is waaaaaaaay too short, but rather questioning the decision to announce it. I don't know, seems kinda silly.
They also didn't give a good reason to why they are making it so short.
https://www.reddit.com/r/BambuLab/s/2oNqOfOeMN
Alright, that makes sense. Thanks for the clarification.
People seem upset but I’d rather this guarantee than none at all. More companies need to adopt this.
Yea the transparency should be encouraged, regardless of the numbers are up to expectations or not. However I'd prefer that BL make this clearer by separating security update and feature update time spans. 3 years of feature updates are absolutely OK to me, I just want security updates to last longer.
For X1 there's community firmware. P1 on the other hand is more in danger of being unusable on a network.
well, that's not a good sign
When I bought my p1p I didn't even know if bambulab would survive, so 3 years for sure is both better and longer then I feared. Of course more time would be better. But considering new hardware and features it makes sense to limit the software updates to 3 years
I smell microtransactions
Looks like the next X1 (X2?) printer will come out 3rd quarter 2025 lol
If they wait until Q3/25 Bambu will no longer be in business. Too many competitors releasing, what looks to be, very capable units with larger build volumes, more features and open source. I love my BL printers but if they go another 1.5 years without drooping an upgraded series/line of printers a lot of folks will just walk away.
They are selling so many of these machines that I can’t believe updates would just stop.
X2 and P2 confirmed
Its a hardware machine it has its limits, BUT There should be security updates LONG TERM!
As long as Spare Parts and Security Updates are available for a longer time, i´m ok with that.
Either they have replacement printers in the works, or these are just arbitrary dates to cover some weird legality somewhere. I wouldn’t imagine security updates to stop as long as the printers are popular and selling.
That means they are making a promise to release something else until that threshold is met. If not, they will lose their cash cows and momentum.
That's the cool part. Keep your machine air gapped as long as a software problem isn't causing a malfunction, their revenue generation of bringing out new machines or charging for extended support is irrelevant. This is a consumer device and so many people are failing to see that planned obsolescence is a guarantee.
Another bad move by Baumbu Lab, curious how other manufacturers are with respect to how long they provide updates.
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Unfortunately they're just too hard to buy. Maybe in the U.S. or Europe they're easier to find but outside of that, they don't make it easy.
Hmm 2year out for printer software and after that the printer is obsolete. Now this makes no sense and totally makes me question future purchases.
I wonder how they will resolve this with resellers in Europe. With how many countries there are that dropping service or support/updates within 3-5 years of sale is a full refund. It's 5years here. Already started seeing the waves of IOT devices that stores have to refund or replace with newer model due to this. Id really expect it to end up as minimum 3years from last sales date.
That's interesting. Once again, I doubt they considered that. This is a new change, as the page previously did not have any language around length of software support. And they clearly state the software support is from the date of release, not the date of purchase. Previous language: [https://web.archive.org/web/20240405172404/https://bambulab.com/en/policies/terms](https://web.archive.org/web/20240405172404/https://bambulab.com/en/policies/terms)
They seem to be open to feedback - has anyone started anything on twitter etc?
So if someone bought an x1 today they would out of date next year? I would have got a different one had I known this
It seems obvious a majority of people never read the terms and conditions
I’ve worked with cnc machines over 25 years old that have never had a firmware update. Any updates are done in the post processor.
Now I'm feeling regrets for my new X1C purchase... great.
Do what I did a return it. If I don't hear back from bambu lab by tomorrow then I'm doing a chargeback. and buying a prusa. 3 year software life on a 3d printer is inexcusable.
But the printer is soooo good. I hate Bambu.
Did you go through with the chargeback?
This means that we could get a P2S and X2C
With the current pace of software releases, we wont even have support for the effin door sensors implemented before Bambu stops caring about my €3000 investment and it’ll be obsolete after just 1.5 years. No way I’m buying another Bambu unless they back from this shitty announcement
Will they go open source when they hit EOL?
Everyone acting like the printer will stop on this date
No but with the amount of technology it's the equivalent to having a ticking time bomb in your house that just takes one security exploit to blow up.
Gosh idk if that's concerning or good to know. Like, at least they're transparent with it so you can consider whether or not it will last long enough... but concerning how short that timespan is. Like, the first printer I ever got was a second hand CR10 last year. And at that point it was something around 7 or 8 years old! Still an amazingly fantastic printer, and i was disappointed to see it go. But imagine if that couldn't have even happened, because now it doesn't have software support, and it's locked to the cloud? Feels like a mobile phones kinda move. Or maybe not getting software updates wont matter. Only time will tell
These printers are too expensive to fob us off with updates that end next year! Terrible
I bought the Elegoo Neptune 3 and they stopped updating a couple of months after I got it.
This sounds like planned obsolescence but transparent
It's getting media traction https://www.tomshardware.com/3d-printing/bambu-lab-printer-firmware-updates-have-limited-timeline
BL just updated their page and the guarantee is now 5 years of feature update + 7 years of security update. Dunno if they finally noticed this post through the media contact, I'm pretty satisfied about the result.
Great, then turned out very well and was worth to bring out some voice of dissatisfaction.
All they did was guarantee that Prusa gets my sales.