Microsoft has announced that they will be including device-specific application programming interfaces (presumably supplemented with drivers) that will provide Windows 8.1 with native support for 3D printers, scanners and POS devices.
Though 3D printers still remain a relatively niche product, it’s great news to see Microsoft is paying close attention to the new technology and we hope that 3D printers will soon feature the same plug and play functionality as conventional 2D printers.