Trend spotting is all about timing. Earlier this week, I was talking to an editor who works outside tech about the top trends in the industry. I told her about our cover story this month, and she asked if 2016 would be the year that 3D printing goes mainstream. Would consumers start buying printers en masse? Not likely, I told her—most people don't need one, and probably never will. She was too polite to ask, "So why the heck are you putting it on the cover of your magazine?", but her skepticism was obvious.

Then I heard about a Reddit user going by the name NSA_Listbot who claims to have 3D printed a railgun. For those of you not versed on advanced weaponry, railguns use electromagnetic energy instead of gunpowder to fire projectiles at super-high speeds. (NSA_Listbot claimed 560mph.) I was doubtful, but the photos were good enough to get me to click. Soon, NSA_Listbot posted YouTube video of the test shots. The railgun was real. Although the weapon isn't completely 3D printed, a lot of its parts are. The 20-pound device runs on six capacitors that produce 1,050 volts; each shot uses 1,800 joules of energy. The gun even uses an Arduino Uno R3 to monitor the charge levels.

This isn't the first or most practical demonstration of 3D printing, but it clearly shows what's possible today because the technology now costs so little. Prosthetic limbs, car parts, tweezers, iPhone cases—if it's plastic, you can print it.

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I'd like to say that we've been covering 3D printing since it was invented, but it goes back further than you might expect. In 1981, Hideo Kodama of the Nagoya Municipal Industrial Research Institute published a paper detailing one of the first additive manufacturing processes. And in 1984 Chuck Hull developed a rapid prototyping machine using stereolithography, dubbed the SLA-1, which is generally acknowledged to have been the first 3D printer. The firm Hull started to commercialize the technology, 3D Systems, has been 3D printing stuff for more than 30 years.

Those systems, of course, often cost $50,000 or more. Now you can buy a 3D printer for less than one-tenth that. As with most emerging technologies, there's a lot of variation in terms of features, performance, price, and even the specific technology used. Tony Hoffman, our resident 3D printing guru, has tested dozens of units and picked out his favorite to highlight in this issue.

The 3D printer market is booming. Shipments will double every year and hit 5.9 million in 2019, according to Gartner Research, and many of those will go to consumers. I still don't think most people need a 3D printer right now. But the people who do have them are doing some very cool things with them. (You can read about those in this issue, too.)

This issue also includes an up-close look at the new Microsoft Surface Book. I've been complaining for years that there are no truly well-designed, high-end Windows laptops on the market. MacBooks are beautiful; Windows PCs are functional. That changes with the Surface Book. Microsoft also finally nailed the hybrid concept, thanks in large part to Windows 10. Be sure to check out Joel Santo Domingo's full review.

Finally, thanks to everyone who's used the #ilovepcmag hashtag on Twitter. Keep it up, and I'll keep sending out links for our secret sale: six issues for $1. Just don't tell my circ department.