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// Workers AI · dad joke modeDoes Wacom make a good pen pal? It draws you in.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Wacom Co., Ltd.
Native name
株式会社ワコム
Kabushiki gaisha Wakomu
TypePublic
TYO: 6727
IndustryComputer input devices and software
Founded1983 in Ageo, Saitama, Japan
Headquarters‹The template Comma-separated entries is being considered for merging.› 
Kazo, Saitama
,
Japan
Area served
Worldwide
Key peopleNobutaka (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
[2]

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] As of 2012 Wacom generated sales of approximately 40.7 billion yen with 785 employees.[4] Wacom also has major offices in Dusseldorf, Germany and Vancouver, Washington. The company's shares are listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange.

History

[edit]

The company was founded in 1983 by Azuma Murakami.[citation needed] Dissatisfied by a corded digitizer on the photo typesetting machine he used while working at the Unification Church affiliated newspaper Sekai Nippo, Murakami fabricated a cordless digitizer on his own time and brought it to market.[citation needed] Murakami was later forced out of his role in July 1997 following an internal power struggle over church ties. [5]

The name Wacom came from an abbreviated variation of World Computer (Japanese: ワールドコンピュータ, wārudo konpyūtā), with the syllable "wa" (和, Japanese for "harmony").[4]

Wacom demonstrated a hand-drawing system at SIGGRAPH in 1987.[6] Walt Disney Animation Studios became an early major customer, using the company's tablets on The Rescuers Down Under and Beauty and the Beast (1991).[6][7]

Wacom was the first company to make pens without a cord, which it introduced in 1991;[8][9] it released its first pen display the following year.[10] Its products were initially targeted at professional artists, but by the late 1990s it aimed to expand to home users as well.[11]

In 1996, U.S. president Bill Clinton used a Wacom pen to sign the Telecommunications Act of 1996.[6]

In 2001, the company partnered with Sony to introduce a Vaio laptop with built-in touch functionality.[12]

The company was listed on JASDAQ in 2003. For the fiscal year ending in 2004 it reported sales of ¥17.6 billion, about 70 percent of it from outside Japan, and employed some 450 people.[6]

Microsoft used Wacom digitizers in the first two generations of its Surface Pro tablets but switched to the competing N-trig system with the Surface Pro 3 in 2014, and acquired N-trig the following year.[13]

Corporate affairs

[edit]

Shareholder activism

[edit]

The British investment manager Asset Value Investors (AVI) has been Wacom's largest shareholder since August 2021, and held about 13.7 percent of the company in May 2026.[14][15] Ahead of the 2025 annual general meeting AVI submitted proposals to create a committee supervising the company's transformation plan, to appoint an outside director with capital-markets experience, and to amend the articles of incorporation in line with the METI guidelines on corporate takeovers, citing cumulative losses of more than ¥10 billion in the branded products segment.[14] The proposals drew about 30 percent shareholder support.[15]

In May 2026 AVI submitted a second set of proposals, seeking the dismissal of chief executive Nobutaka Ide and of the chief operating officer, and the appointment of an outside director.[16][15] The fund objected to Wacom's acquisition, for about ¥1.7 billion, of a loss-making startup previously headed by the officer concerned, and alleged that office space at the company's Tokyo premises had been used by Ide's daughter to record dance videos.[17][15] Wacom's board resolved on May 13 to oppose both proposals, describing the criticism as misdirected: it said the space was covered by a facility-use agreement priced with outside expert advice, and that the acquisition had been reviewed over three months by a special committee of outside directors.[17]

Shareholders rejected the proposals at the annual general meeting on June 25, 2026. Ide's re-election was approved with 64.30 percent of votes cast, while the proposal to dismiss him received 24.61 percent.[18][19]

Litigation

[edit]

In 2024, Wacom filed a patent infringement suit in a United States court against Maxeye, a Chinese manufacturer of digital pens.[20]

Products

[edit]

Wacom produces two categories of graphics tablets: those with a screen ('pen display') and those without ('tablet').[21] In addition, the company provides software for computers and software to interpret pen data.[9] Some pens have an eraser on the rear end.[22]

Cintiq

[edit]

Wacom's professional pen displays are under the Cintiq line.[23] They allow for drawing directly on the screen, like drawing on paper,[24][25] and are more expensive than other Wacom products.[26] The Cintiq Companion is a portable variant of the Cintiq displays.[26]

Intuos

[edit]

Intuos graphics tablets do not have displays.[27] The first version was introduced in 1999, replacing the earlier ArtZ line.[28] It is available in an entry-level version and the more advanced Intuos Pro.[29] In 2018, The Verge called the entry-level models a "great introduction to digital art".[30] The Intuos Pro was redesigned in 2025, moving the ExpressKeys from the side of the tablet to its top edge and replacing the touch ring with dials.[31]

One

[edit]

The One series of products is targeted at beginners, and features versions both with and without screens.[32][21] The One tablet, 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.[33]

Movink

[edit]

In April 2024 Wacom introduced the Movink 13, a 13.3-inch pen display and the company's first to use an OLED panel; at four millimetres thick it was also its thinnest and lightest pen display.[34][35]

In July 2025 the line was extended with the MovinkPad 11, an 11.45-inch Android tablet that runs drawing software on its own rather than requiring a connected computer.[36][37]

Other products

[edit]

Wacom also makes the MobileStudio, a pen display with an inbuilt computer.[27]

They have also made other lines of graphics tablets, such as the Bamboo and Graphire, which were both screenless.[24][38] 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.[39][40] In 2018, it partnered with Magic Leap to create collaborative mixed reality design tools at CES.[41]

Technology

[edit]

The tablets use electromagnetic resonance (EMR) technology, a type of faint radio signal.[42][43][44] Magnetic waves are emitted from the tablet, which are then transmitted to the pen and stored. When the pen is released, the waves are sent back to the tablet, which uses it to determine the pen's position;[12][45] this avoids the usage of separate batteries in the pen.[22] The pen also contains a movable tip, which allows determining the pressure applied to the tablet.[44][46]

Recognition

[edit]

At the 53rd Annie Awards in February 2026, Wacom received the Ub Iwerks Award, which recognises technical advances with a lasting effect on animation, for the adoption of its pen technology in animation production.[47]

Criticism

[edit]

The company has received criticism for collection of user data,[48] which Wacom says is "for quality assurance and development purposes", where the data is anonymized.[49]

In early 2024, the company was criticised by artists for using AI-generated images in its advertising material.[50] The company replied in a post on its blogs on January 9, stating that "using AI generated images in these assets was not our intent" and that the images came from a third-party vendor.[51]

References

[edit]
  1. ↑ "Nobutaka (Nobu) Ide Assumes the Role of Representative Director, President and CEO, Wacom Co., Ltd". Wacom. Tokyo, Japan. April 2, 2018. Archived from the original on November 28, 2023. Retrieved May 20, 2019.
  2. ↑ "Annual Report 2022" (PDF). Wacom. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 30, 2023. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
  3. ↑ "Wacom Investor Relations:Frequently asked questions". Wacom.com. January 27, 2020. Archived from the original on May 9, 2021. Retrieved January 19, 2021.
  4. 1 2 "Wacom | - Investor Relations - FAQs -". May 1, 2011. Archived from the original on May 1, 2011. Retrieved November 8, 2023.[better source needed]
  5. ↑ "埼玉、平10不4、平12.3.9 命令書" (PDF). Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "The Pen Is Mightier" (PDF). Japan Spotlight. Japan Economic Foundation. January–February 2006. pp. 38–39. Retrieved September 24, 2026.
  7. ↑ Smith, Ernie (December 1, 2017). "The Company That Waited Decades for the Touchscreen Revolution". Vice. Retrieved September 24, 2026.
  8. ↑ Yares, Evan (May 25, 1993). "Wacom SD-421E". PCMag. Vol. 12, no. 10. p. 294.
  9. 1 2 Gebolys, Debbie (October 5, 1994). "Graphics tablet gets smaller". The Columbian. p. 9.
  10. ↑ Pogue, David (May 2, 2012). "The Joy of Drawing on Glass". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on March 8, 2023. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
  11. ↑ Brown, Craig (December 7, 1997). "Pen strokes of genius". The Columbian. pp. 51–52.
  12. 1 2 Rogoway, Mike (August 2, 2001). "Wacom pens a licensing deal with Sony". The Columbian. p. 33.
  13. ↑ Conditt, Jessica (February 12, 2015). "Microsoft reportedly acquires company behind Surface Pro 3 pen". Engadget. Retrieved September 24, 2026.
  14. 1 2 Coles-Andrew, Graeme (May 13, 2025). "Fund manager runs out of patience with Japan's Wacom Corp". The Armchair Trader. Retrieved September 24, 2026.
  15. 1 2 3 4 Umegaki, Hayato (May 22, 2026). ペンタブ大手「ワコム」に社長解任の株主提案 [Shareholder proposal to dismiss the president at pen-tablet maker Wacom]. Toyo Keizai (in Japanese). Retrieved September 24, 2026.
  16. ↑ Taniguchi, Takako (May 15, 2026). "UK Fund Seeks Removal of Two Executives at Japan's Wacom". Bloomberg News. Retrieved September 24, 2026.
  17. 1 2 Hayashi, Hiroya (May 18, 2026). ワコム、社長らの解任求める株主提案に反対決議 [Wacom's board resolves to oppose shareholder proposal seeking dismissal of president and others]. ITmedia News (in Japanese). Retrieved September 24, 2026.
  18. ↑ ワコム株主総会、英ファンドAVIの社長解任案否決 [Wacom shareholders reject British fund AVI's proposal to dismiss the president]. Nihon Keizai Shimbun (in Japanese). June 25, 2026. Retrieved September 24, 2026.
  19. ↑ ワコム井出社長の選任賛成率64% 英投資ファンドが解任提案 [64% approval for Wacom president Ide's election as British investment fund proposes his dismissal]. Nihon Keizai Shimbun (in Japanese). July 1, 2026. Retrieved September 24, 2026.
  20. ↑ "Japanese graphic-tablet maker Wacom files patent infringement lawsuit in US against Chinese digital pen maker Maxeye". MLex. August 29, 2024. Retrieved September 24, 2026.
  21. 1 2 Nicholls, Beth (August 15, 2023). "The new Wacom One budget range continues an annoying tech trend". Creative Bloq. Archived from the original on March 23, 2024. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
  22. 1 2 Mathews, Craig F. (2004). Absolute Beginner's Guide to Tablet PCs. Indianapolis, Ind.: Que. pp. 12, 66. ISBN 0-7686-6191-9. OCLC 57706162.
  23. ↑ Lee, Dami (January 8, 2019). "Wacom's $649 Cintiq 16 bridges the gap between hobbyists and pro creatives". The Verge. Retrieved March 8, 2023.
  24. 1 2 Sholin, Marilyn (2009). The Art of Digital Photo Painting: Using Popular Software to Create Masterpieces (1st ed.). New York: Lark Books. pp. 11–12. ISBN 978-1-60059-101-3. OCLC 213301758.
  25. ↑ 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.
  26. 1 2 Streed, Michael W. (2017). Creating digital faces for law enforcement. London: Academic Press. pp. 129–153. ISBN 978-0-12-805279-2. OCLC 971035475.
  27. 1 2 Stapley, Jon (November 23, 2022). "The best Wacom tablets available". Creative Bloq. Archived from the original on March 24, 2024. Retrieved March 24, 2024.
  28. ↑ Ireton, Trevor (August 3, 1999). "Artist's tools draw on wellspring of tradition". Sydney Morning Herald. Sydney, Australia. p. 56.
  29. ↑ Aldred, John (September 7, 2018). "DIYP reviews the Wacom Intuos - The ultimate editing travel companion for photographers". DIY Photography. Archived from the original on March 24, 2024. Retrieved March 24, 2024.
  30. ↑ Lee, Dami (March 6, 2018). "Wacom's new Intuos tablets are perfect for the beginner doodler". The Verge. Archived from the original on March 8, 2023. Retrieved March 8, 2023.
  31. ↑ Dean, Ian (June 18, 2025). "After three weeks of testing, here's why the Wacom Intuos Pro (2025) won me over". Creative Bloq. Retrieved September 24, 2026.
  32. ↑ Harris, Mike (December 12, 2023). "One by Wacom review". digitalcameraworld.
  33. ↑ Lee, Dami (January 7, 2020). "Wacom's $400 tablet is its most affordable yet, and adds Android compatibility". The Verge. Archived from the original on March 8, 2023. Retrieved March 8, 2023.
  34. ↑ Gray, Jeremy (April 30, 2024). "Wacom's Movink 13 OLED Pen Display Is Made for Traveling Photographers". PetaPixel. Retrieved September 24, 2026.
  35. ↑ Watson, Josephine (September 13, 2024). "Wacom Movink review: impressively thin, with a beautiful OLED screen". TechRadar. Retrieved September 24, 2026.
  36. ↑ Thacker, Jim (July 22, 2025). "Wacom launches MovinkPad 11 drawing tablet". CG Channel. Retrieved September 24, 2026.
  37. ↑ Firsching, Jürgen (July 18, 2025). "Wacom MovinkPad 11: Standalone Sketching, No PC (or iPad) Required". Digital Production. Retrieved September 24, 2026.
  38. ↑ Milburn, Ken (2004). Digital Photography: Expert Techniques (1st ed.). Sebastopol, Calif.: O'Reilly. p. 22. ISBN 0-596-00547-4. OCLC 54983155.
  39. ↑ Houston, Thomas (August 30, 2011). "Wacom Inkling system converts your ink drawings to digital scribbles". The Verge. Retrieved March 8, 2023.
  40. ↑ Schulman, Jacob (November 28, 2011). "Wacom Inkling review". The Verge. Archived from the original on March 8, 2023. Retrieved March 8, 2023.
  41. ↑ Lee, Dami (January 17, 2019). "Wacom and Magic Leap are creating an optimistic vision of the future of productivity". The Verge. Archived from the original on March 8, 2023. Retrieved March 8, 2023.
  42. ↑ 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. Archived from the original on March 8, 2023. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
  43. ↑ Pollack, Andrew (March 17, 1991). "Technology; Positioning the Electronic Stylus". The New York Times. Section 3 p. 9. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on March 8, 2023. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
  44. 1 2 Lewis, Peter H. (April 23, 1991). "PERSONAL COMPUTERS; Next Best to a Brush". The New York Times. p. C10. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on March 8, 2023. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
  45. ↑ "EMR Pen Technology" (PDF). Wacom. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 13, 2019. Retrieved October 13, 2019.
  46. ↑ Lewis, Peter H. (July 25, 1995). "PERSONAL COMPUTERS; Electronic Pen With Its Own Eraser". The New York Times. pp. C8. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on March 8, 2023. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
  47. ↑ Degg, D. D. (February 12, 2026). "Wacom Wins Ub Iwerks Award". The Daily Cartoonist. Retrieved September 24, 2026.
  48. ↑ Lee, Dami (February 6, 2020). "Wacom tablets are sharing your app usage with Google Analytics". The Verge. Archived from the original on March 8, 2023. Retrieved March 8, 2023.
  49. ↑ Lee, Dami (February 7, 2020). "Wacom says it's not spying on its customers, and users can opt out of data collection". The Verge. Archived from the original on March 8, 2023. Retrieved March 8, 2023.
  50. ↑ "Artists upset after Wacom uses AI art to market artist gear - Boing Boing". Archived from the original on January 18, 2024. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
  51. ↑ "A Response to Community Questions Concerning Wacom Using AI-generated Art in US Marketing Assets - Wacom Blog". January 9, 2024. Archived from the original on January 18, 2024. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
[edit]
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