- published: 19 Nov 2015
- views: 454103
Wacom Co., Ltd. (株式会社ワコム, Kabushiki-gaisha Wakomu?) (English pronunciation: /ˈwɑːkəm/) (TYO: 6727) is a worldwide company that produces graphics tablets and related products, headquartered in Otone, Saitama, Japan. The American headquarters are located in Vancouver, Washington, and those for EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) in Krefeld, Germany. Wacom is a Japanese portmanteau: Wa for "harmony" or "circle", and Komu for "computer". Wacom tablets are notable for their use of a patented cordless, battery-free, and pressure-sensitive stylus or digital pen. In addition to manufacturing and selling tablets as separate products, Wacom also provides graphical input technology for some tablet computers, which it calls "Penabled Technology".
The Wacom tablet functionality was in 1992 used in the screen of the Compaq Concerto computer, making it into an early tablet computer.
Wacom produces several lines of tablets, three of which are marketed worldwide. Most tablets are sold with a bundle of software such as Corel Painter Essentials and Photoshop Elements, which take advantage of the features of the tablet. Each is sold with a digital pen that is compatible with that model; digital pens generally do not work with tablets of a different product line or generation. Some of these pens include features such as additional buttons on the shaft or an "eraser" at the other end. Some tablet models include a puck (mouse) based on the same technology. Software drivers for recent versions of Mac OS X and Microsoft Windows are included with most models. All current models of external tablet connect to computers via USB or Bluetooth.