PRESS RELEASE
Wacom, the pioneer and leader in digital pen technology, turns 35 and celebrates its anniversary with inspiring stories and attractive offers, to say thank you to the many Wacom users, customers and partners in the creative community.
Dusseldorf, Germany – 1 October 2018 – Wacom, the pioneer and leader in digital pen technology, was founded 1983 in Japan. Today, Wacom celebrates 35 years of creativity and technology leadership with its many users, customers and partners in the creative community.
Wacom pioneered the idea of the digital pen which is still the best and most intuitive instrument to express human creativity. “In combining our long-standing expertise with new opportunities offered by the ever evolving IT industry, we stay committed to provide creative around the world with the best digital pen experience possible” says Nobu Ide, CEO of Wacom. With 3D content and creation on the continuous rise, the discussion today is about how to best integrate VR/MR into an improved design workflow. “Being a technology leader in the field of professional instruments for art and design, we are developing new solutions in VR to offer artists and designers the creative tools of the future,” Nobu Ide explains.
35 Years of Technology Leadership
Back in the early eighties, computers were clunky and nowhere near being intuitive and easy to use. The strait laced, blinking green on black command-line interfaces were the norm and just slowly giving way to the early versions of the new and promising graphical user interfaces that we know from the operating systems still in use today.
It was in this context that Wacom started to look beyond the keyboard and mouse to find better ways to bridge the gap between humans and computers. True to its name, which combines the Japanese syllable ‘Wa’ for harmony and ‘Com’ for computer, Wacom started to develop an intuitive input device for the more creative uses of a computer. In pioneering its ground-breaking EMR-Technology, Wacom created the first digital pen tablet.
Celebrating Creativity
To mark its 35th anniversary, Wacom wants to say “Thank You” and celebrate creativity with the many professionals, enthusiasts and partners in the creative community. As part of the celebrations, Wacom is offering as of October 1st, 2018, the Wacom Cintiq Pro 13 with a new recommended retail price of € 859,90 EUR / £ 789,99 GBP (instead of € 1099.90 EUR / £ 899.99 GBP previously)., The Cintiq Pro connects to both PC and Mac and packs Wacom’s best pen experience and a crisp 13” full HD display into a slim, compact and portable format. *
For the creative beginners and enthusiasts, Wacom will put a special focus on the new Wacom Intuos. The pen tablet offers users everything they need to get creative, including leading software for digital drawing, painting and photo editing. The upcoming campaign will feature inspiring stories and helpful tips so that young artists can become their own creative superhero.
As the celebrations continue, Wacom will share more details on additional activities, including special campaigns and attractive offers yet to be announced. In the run up to the anniversary, Wacom has already reduced the recommended retail prices for several models of the Wacom MobileStudio Pro. The high-end pen computer gives creatives the PC power they need to run the full versions of leading creative software on a mobile solution. Artists and designers as well as students and young professionals benefit now from up to 300 EUR reduced recommended retail prices of select models. For more information on the Wacom MobileStudio Pro, the different versions, specs, and prizes, please visit the Wacom MobileStudio Pro product page or the Wacom E-Store.
Inspiring and supporting creatives
Creative professionals, as well as passionate enthusiasts and hobbyists, find in Wacom a partner that provides them with the tools and solutions to support their creative ambitions. “Wacom’s vision has always been to bring people and technology closer together. For 35 years this has made us the world’s leading manufacturer of interactive pen tablets” says Faik Karaoglu, Executive Vice President of Wacom’s Creative Business Unit. “We are proud to be a partner of the creative community and that our products have been used to create some of the most exciting digital art, films, special effects, fashion and designs. We promise that we will continue to provide technological innovation and solutions that are designed to make the world a more creative place.”
To get an idea of how Wacom products are used across the different arts and industries, please have a look at the following selection of inspiring use cases, interviews and feature stories: Wacom 35 Years of Creativity
* All prices in EUR and GBP are recommended retail prices incl. VAT. Prices may vary in select retailers
Wacom – 35 Years of Technology Leadership |
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1983 |
Wacom Co Ltd established in Saitama, Japan |
1984 |
Introduction of its first cordless digitizer, the predecessor of all Wacom digital pens |
1988 |
Adobe Photoshop and Corel Painter creative software are launched |
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Nike and Ferrari start to design digitally on Wacom tablets |
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Wacom expands and sets up offices in Europe and the US |
1991 |
Disney introduces Wacom technology to create “The Beauty and the Beast” |
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US Communications Act is the first law signed digitally with a Wacom pen |
1993 |
Star Wars uses Wacom technology to digitally remaster early episodes |
1998 |
Wacom launches the Intuos series of digital pen tablets |
1999 |
Harry Potter special effects created on Wacom products |
2002 |
Wacom launches Cintiq series of interactive LCD pen displays |
2007 |
Wacom launches Bamboo brand aimed at a broader audience |
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Wacom professional creative products become widely used in digital art, illustration, films, special effects, fashion and product design. |
2010 |
Wacom launches digital signature solutions for business workflows |
2013 |
Wacom introduces the Intuos Pro pen tablets for creative professionals |
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Wacom relaunches the Intuos pen tablets for enthusiasts and young creatives |
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Wacom goes mobile with the Cintiq Companion mobile pen computer |
2014 |
Wacom introduces WILL Ink Layer Language as industry standard |
2015 |
Bamboo Smartpads bridge the gap between handwritten notes and digital |
2016 |
Wacom MobileStudio Pro launched to offer creatives a mobile solution that runs professional software. |
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New Wacom Cintiq Pro 13 and 16-inch pen displays with up to 4k resolution |
2017 |
Wacom redefines standards with the new Wacom Intuos Pro pen tablets |
2018 |
New Wacom Intuos series offers beginners a choice of creative software |
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Introduction of the Wacom Cintiq Pro 24 + Cintiq Pro Engine to offer creatives the space, performance and clutter free environment they need |
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Wacom moves boundaries and presents a concept for VR content creation |
About Wacom
Founded in 1983, Wacom is a global company based in Japan (Tokyo Stock Exchange 6727) with subsidiaries and affiliate offices around the world to support marketing and distribution in over 150 countries. Wacom’s vision to bring people and technology closer together through natural interface technologies has made it the world’s leading manufacturer of interactive pen tablets and displays as well as of digital styli and solutions for saving and processing digital signatures. The advanced technology of Wacom’s intuitive input devices has been used to create some of the most exciting digital art, films, special effects, fashion and designs around the world and provides business and home users with their leading interface technology to express their personality.
For further information about the products of Wacom Europe see also www.wacom.com