Wacom

Wacom Co., Ltd. (株式会社ワコム, Kabushiki gaisha Wakomu, /ˈwɑːkəm/) is a Japanese company headquartered in Kazo, Saitama, Japan, that specializes in manufacturing graphics tablets and related products.[3]

This article is about the electronic manufacturer. For other uses, see WACOM (disambiguation).

Wacom Co., Ltd.
Native name
株式会社ワコム
Kabushiki gaisha Wakomu
TypePublic (Kabushiki gaisha)
TYO: 6727
IndustryComputer input devices and software
FoundedJuly 12, 1983 (1983-07-12) in Ageo, Saitama, Japan
Headquarters
Kazo, Saitama
,
Japan
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Nobutaka (Nobu) Ide
(President & CEO)[1]
ProductsBamboo, Intuos, Cintiq, MobileStudio Pro, PenPartner, Volito, Graphire
RevenueIncrease ¥109 billion (2022)
Decrease ¥13 billion (2022)
Increase ¥11 billion (2022)
Total assetsIncrease ¥73 billion (2022)
Number of employees
1,069 (2022)
Websitewacom.com
Footnotes / references
[2]

Headquarters locations

The main headquarters are located in Kazo, Saitama, Japan. Its office in the USA is currently located in the Pearl District of Portland, Oregon. The European headquarters is located in the Media Harbour in Düsseldorf, Germany.

History

The company was founded in 1983 in Japan.[4] The company released its first pen display in 1992[5] and was the first company to make pens without a cord.[6]

Products

Wacom produces two categories of graphics tablets: those with a screen ('pen display') and those without ('tablet'). In addition, the company provides software for computers and software to interpret pen data. Some pens have an eraser on the rear end.[7]

Cintiq
A monitor with the Dutch Wikipedia displayed. A large cable is plugged into the right side of the monitor. The Cintiq is standing upright on a desk, and lower down on the image is a digital pen and the pen holder.
A Wacom Cintiq 13HD.

Wacom's professional pen displays are under the Cintiq line[8] which allow for drawing directly on the screen like drawing on paper,[9][10] which are more expensive than other Wacom products.[11] The Cintiq Companion is a portable variant of the Cintiq displays.[11]

Intuos

Intuos graphics tablets are smaller tablets, without displays. The Verge calls them a "great introduction to digital art."[12]

Other products

In 2011, the company released a tablet-less pen, which allowed for drawing on any piece of paper, but was criticized for being inaccurate compared to a normal photo scan.[13][14] The Wacom One, released at CES 2020, has a 13-inch, 1920x1080 display. The Verge labeled it as Wacom's "most affordable tablet to date," being priced at $400.[15]

Wacoms other tablets, Bamboo,[9] and Graphire, are both without screens.[16]

Wacom partnered with Magic Leap to create collaborative mixed reality design tools, announced in 2018.[17]

Technology

The pens use a movable tip to determine the pressure,[18][19] and the tablets use patented electromagnetic resonance technology, a type of faint radio signal,[20][21] called Electro Magnetic Resonance.[18][22][23] This method does not require batteries in the pens.[7]

Criticism

Wacom has been criticized for their high cost of professional displays.[24] The company has also received criticism for collection of user usage data,[25] which Wacom says is "for quality assurance and development purposes," where the data is anonymized.[26]

References
  1. "Nobutaka (Nobu) Ide Assumes the Role of Representative Director, President and CEO, Wacom Co., Ltd". Wacom. Tokyo, Japan. April 2, 2018. Retrieved May 20, 2019.
  2. "Annual Report 2022" (PDF). Wacom. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
  3. "Wacom Investor Relations:Frequently asked questions". Wacom.com. Retrieved January 19, 2021.
  4. "India's 10 Most Influential Tech Leaders to Follow in 2022". Tycoon Success. December 2021. pp. 16{{subst:en dash}}17. Retrieved March 9, 2023.
  5. Pogue, David (May 2, 2012). "The Joy of Drawing on Glass". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
  6. Yares, Evan (May 25, 1993). "Wacom SD-421E". PCMag. Vol. 12, no. 10. p. 294.
  7. Mathews, Craig F. (2004). Absolute Beginner's Guide to Tablet PCs. Indianapolis, Ind.: Que. pp. 12, 66. ISBN 0-7686-6191-9. OCLC 57706162.
  8. Lee, Dami (January 8, 2019). "Wacom's $649 Cintiq 16 bridges the gap between hobbyists and pro creatives". The Verge. Retrieved March 8, 2023.
  9. Sholin, Marilyn (2009). The Art of Digital Photo Painting: Using Popular Software to Create Masterpieces (1st ed.). New York: Lark Books. pp. 11{{subst:en dash}}12. ISBN 978-1-60059-101-3. OCLC 213301758.
  10. Sammon, Rick (2007). Rick Sammon's Complete Guide to Digital Photography 2.0. New York: W.W. Norton. p. 196. ISBN 978-0-393-32914-8. OCLC 71312817.
  11. Streed, Michael W. (2017). Creating digital faces for law enforcement. London: Academic Press. pp. 129{{subst:en dash}}153. ISBN 978-0-12-805279-2. OCLC 971035475.
  12. Lee, Dami (March 6, 2018). "Wacom's new Intuos tablets are perfect for the beginner doodler". The Verge. Retrieved March 8, 2023.
  13. Houston, Thomas (August 30, 2011). "Wacom Inkling system converts your ink drawings to digital scribbles". The Verge. Retrieved March 8, 2023.
  14. Schulman, Jacob (November 28, 2011). "Wacom Inkling review". The Verge. Retrieved March 8, 2023.
  15. Lee, Dami (January 7, 2020). "Wacom's $400 tablet is its most affordable yet, and adds Android compatibility". The Verge. Retrieved March 8, 2023.
  16. Milburn, Ken (2004). Digital Photography: Expert Techniques (1st ed.). Sebastopol, Calif.: O'Reilly. p. 22. ISBN 0-596-00547-4. OCLC 54983155.
  17. Lee, Dami (January 17, 2019). "Wacom and Magic Leap are creating an optimistic vision of the future of productivity". The Verge. Retrieved March 8, 2023.
  18. Lewis, Peter H. (April 23, 1991). "PERSONAL COMPUTERS; Next Best to a Brush". The New York Times. p. C10. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
  19. Lewis, Peter H. (July 25, 1995). "PERSONAL COMPUTERS; Electronic Pen With Its Own Eraser". The New York Times. pp. C8. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
  20. Austen, Ian (August 23, 2001). "NEWS WATCH: PERIPHERALS; For Artists and Photographers, Pen Is Mightier Than the Mouse". The New York Times. p. G3. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
  21. Pollack, Andrew (March 17, 1991). "Technology; Positioning the Electronic Stylus". The New York Times. Section 3 p. 9. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
  22. "EMR™ Pen Technology" (PDF). Wacom.
  23. "United States (expired) Patent US4878553 describing the technology" (PDF). Freepatentsonline.com. Retrieved October 6, 2011.
  24. Weatherbed, Jess (September 28, 2022). "The Wacom Cintiq Pro 27 introduces slim bezels and a customizable pen". The Verge. Retrieved March 8, 2023.
  25. Lee, Dami (February 6, 2020). "Wacom tablets are sharing your app usage with Google Analytics". The Verge. Retrieved March 8, 2023.
  26. Lee, Dami (February 7, 2020). "Wacom says it's not spying on its customers, and users can opt out of data collection". The Verge. Retrieved March 8, 2023.
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