Wacom
| Wacom KK
|
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| legal form | Kabushiki kaisha ( Japanese corporation ) |
| ISIN | JP3993400005 |
| founding | 1983 |
| Seat | Kazo , Saitama Prefecture , Japan |
| management | Masahiko Yamada (President, 2012) |
| Number of employees | 785 (2012) |
| sales | 40.7 billion yen (2012) |
| Branch | Computer industry |
| Website |
www.wacom.de www.wacom.com |
KK Wacom ( Japanese 株式会社 ワ コ ム , kabushiki-gaisha Wakomu , English Wacom Co., Ltd. ) is a manufacturer of pen-like input devices for computers, graphic tablets .
The company was founded in Ageo in 1983 . In 2012, Wacom had 785 employees and sales of approximately 40.7 billion yen. The company is mainly active in two business areas: On the one hand, in the design, production and sale of graphics tablets; on the other hand, in the development of software products ( e.g. CAD software) that benefit from the patented hardware. It has branches in Australia, Great Britain, Germany, the United States of America, the People's Republic of China and South Korea. The company's shares are listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange under the identifier 6727.
The name Wacom came from an abbreviated variation of World Computer ( ワ ー ル ド コ ン ピ ュ ー タ , wārudo kompyūtā ), with the syllable "wa" (Japanese for harmony). According to the company, the name was created to express the goal of developing humans and computers in harmony.
Products
Wacom released the first graphics tablet with a cordless pen in 1984. In 1987 a graphics tablet followed, the pen of which is designed as a passive transponder , meaning that it does not require a battery for power supply and works by means of electromagnetic induction , similar to RFID systems.
Bamboo or Intuos
The Bamboo family is aimed primarily at beginners who want to learn to use a graphics tablet. It has a smaller drawing area (depending on the model, e.g. A5 ) in 16:10 format, has fewer features (shortcut keys) and a lower resolution than professional products. There are products that only respond to pen input or only as a touchpad to finger gestures, as well as products that can handle both types of input. Pens for capacitive displays such as those of the iPad are also offered under the name Bamboo Stylus .
The product range has now been renamed Intuos - not to be confused with the professional Intuos products that are now called Intuos Pro .
Intuos or Intuos Pro
The Intuos4 product range is aimed at professional users of graphics and CAD programs in terms of the size of the drawing area (approx. A6 to A3 , widescreen format ) as well as in resolution and equipment. There are several different pens available with advanced functions - such as tilt angle and rotation detection - that the software driver can distinguish and thus allow individual settings for each pen, just like real drawing tools. All models of the Intuos5 series include a transmitter and receiver module for wireless operation and a USB charging cable.
In the meantime, the Intuos5 series has been renamed Intuos Pro - not to be confused with the low-priced Bamboo products that are now called Intuos .
Cintiq
With Cintiq is flat screens with integrated professional graphics tablet. Entries are made directly on the screen, similar to a tablet PC; This eliminates the need for the brain to coordinate the deviating pen and image positions, which is a complex task.
Nextbeat
For DJs , the Nextbeat is a device with a simulated turntable and integrated display.
Further products
In addition to these tablets, Wacom also offers software for graphics tablets and special signature tablets. The company continues to supply the input hardware for many tablet PCs .
Supporting software
Basically any kind of software that can be operated with a mouse can be operated with a graphics tablet, but many graphic applications such as Adobe Photoshop or GIMP specifically support the functions such as pressure sensitivity, inclination detection and airbrush accessory pen of Wacom products.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c Wacom - Investor Relations - Financial Indices. Wacom KK, accessed November 10, 2012 .
- ^ Wacom - Investor Relations - FAQs. Wacom KK, accessed November 10, 2012 .
- ↑ Patent US4878553 : Position Detecting Apparatus. Filed September 14, 1987 , published November 7, 1989 , Applicant: Wacom, Ltd, Saitama, Japan, Inventor: Tsuguya Yamanami, Takahiko Funahashi, Toshiaki Senda.
- ↑ http://www.wacom.eu/index2.asp?lang=de&pid=18
