The Future of Wacom

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Wanda/Wander

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Wacom for years have been the standard when it comes to pen display technologies.

However, recently other tech companies have caught up and in some ways surpassed Wacom's tech.

With the announcement of the Surface Studio and continued success of the iPad Pro, what's next for this company?
 
Shogmaster is still banned? Waiting for his wisdom

Anyway, Samsung owns part of Wacom and uses it in their products so that will keep Wacom relevant in the mainstream. There's a rumored Samung hybrid Chromebook that could do really...
 
Cintiq is still pretty great but they need to improve it and make it more affordable to be competitive. Hard for me to go back to the OG tablets.
 
I hope they get buried. Let's charge 3x, because we're Wacom attitude was so incredibly toxic and extremely unfriendly to novices and others who would have real use for good stylus technologies but could not afford them as a business expense. They literally stunted the market for stylus-first software.
 
They recently announced the mobilestudio pro that has 8000+ levels of pressure, zero parallax (apparently), and no battery for the pen required. It doubles as a standalone tablet PC or as a cintiq.
It comes in 13 inches and 16 inches (with the 16 coming with quadri graphics)

Wacom is still top of the line. No one has really surpassed them.
 
I'm glad their monopoly on digital artist tools is being challenged, but unfortunately no one's quite hit the same level of quality in the actual drawing experience (though everything else about their hardware is mediocre/straight up bad). Hoping this next line of Surface products finally catches up.
 
I tried to have this discussion on the fb profile of a very talented artist (who's also an extreme tech lover) and he actually praised the new portable tablet from Wacom.
And even if other brands are getting there, they still lack the "feel" and overall performance/design factor of Wacom.
Which sounds extremely similar to Apple I know, but as Cintiq 22HD owner I must say that I kind of love the brand.
But I must admit that the Companion 1/2 were a complete disaster.
 
My girlfriend is actually in the market for a Intuos style tablet, but I'm really finding it hard to justify the cost of one of those compared to those cheap-ass UC Logic based ones that work shockingly well for the price.
 
People use professional tablets to make living.

Wacom has the built quality and performance, it might be overpriced but people pay for reliability and performance. Go Wacom if you want all the features and the least amount of problems, go with something else if you want to gamble on the 30% discount.

There is a range of Wacom tablets from doodling to highest-end graphic design. Wacom mainly sells stand-alone tablets and plenty of Intuos 3/4 outlast 2 or even 3 workstations. I am not interested in the built-in tablets because the computer components are going to be either overpriced or disappointing (both in the case of Studio).

It is a huge question mark whether Surface studio is going to match Wacom's technologies when it comes to accuracy and support.
 
Woah hold up.
Gaf, what are some good alternatives to the Wacom cintiq?? I feel totally in the dark and DEF don't wanna drop another grand if mine dies.
 
Dice// said:
Woah hold up.
Gaf, what are some good alternatives to the Wacom cintiq?? I feel totally in the dark and DEF don't wanna drop another grand if mine dies.
Click to expand...

If your talking about the larger ones, there still really isn't something that is as good as a cintiq. All of them have problems one way or another.

If you're looking for a 13inch alternative for cintiq, the artisul d13 is highly praised
 
I don't really see them changing anytime soon. The Cintiq is primarily used by studios and professional artist. They not really marketed at consumers.
 
The Parblo Coast 22 (Monoprice MP 22) is almost as good as an equivalent Cintiq for 60% cheaper.

Wacom are in serious trouble if Chinese copycat manufacturers keep getting better. We have batteryless pens with tilt and erasers on full HD displays from Chinese manufacturers now for far, far cheaper than a Cintiq of the same screen size.

Surface is also sapping into the Companion range. Why buy a Companion when a Surface is far cheaper?
 
There's also a business line that focuses on things like signature capture and the like.

Wacom as a company isn't going anywhere-- at most you may see a shift in their market focus.
 
The competition from Microsoft and Apple right now is really bad for them. They are lucky that Apple's offering lacking when it comes to integration with real software but yeah, Microsoft presented a killer product right now.

They still have their brand name and their status but I wonder how long that will last them.
 
As far as I'm concerned, there isn't anything better than an Intuos/Cintiq. However, they really need to step up their quality control (especially the Intuos line) as well as fix their driver issues.
 
It's like saying other company has caught up Photoshop.

It doesn't matter, the professional markets tend to narrow down and entrench in 1 or 2 proprietary standard.
 
Evolution of Metal said:
People use professional tablets to make living.

Wacom has the built quality and performance, it might be overpriced but people pay for reliability and performance. Go Wacom if you want all the features and the least amount of problems, go with something else if you want to gamble on the 30% discount.

There is a range of Wacom tablets from doodling to highest-end graphic design. Wacom mainly sells stand-alone tablets and plenty of Intuos 3/4 outlast 2 or even 3 workstations. I am not interested in the built-in tablets because the computer components are going to be either overpriced or disappointing (both in the case of Studio).

It is a huge question mark whether Surface studio is going to match Wacom's technologies when it comes to accuracy and support.
Click to expand...


That's the thing, lately their products have been really shaky imo.

The intuos are still king, but the cintiq lineups have been really crappy since the 21hd second revision.

I own the 22hd and it has a horrible anti glare that really is distracting and hurts the image quality. The Cintiq companions were big, bulky and had horrible battery life, and really expensive.

Instead of refreshing the 22hd by making them cheaper, thinner, and maybe giving them a screen that's not from 2006, they launch and even bigger cintiq that's more expensive.

I've moved to an Ipad Pro for most of drawing needs and I use my decade old intuos for 3d modeling. I rarely use my 22hd these days :/
 
Cindi Mayweather said:
Have an Intuos and thinking of going Cintiq but it feels unnecessary?
Click to expand...

If you can afford it, sure, I think you can get cintiq 13hd for $800ish, or maybe the new 13" mobile studio line.

For the bigger cintiq though, unless you're a professional then it's kinda not worth it as they're really expensive.
 
Gattsu25 said:
Well, this just got announced today: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BzMLA8YIgG0
Click to expand...

Arex said:
If you can afford it, sure, I think you can get cintiq 13hd for $800ish, or maybe the new 13" mobile studio line.

For the bigger cintiq though, unless you're a professional then it's kinda not worth it as they're really expensive.
Click to expand...

the mobile studio line (even at its lowest config) would still be too expensive at ~$1500.
as for the 13hd, you might as well get an Artisul d13 and save yourself $200 and get a better stand in the process
 
Blackhead said:
Penny Arcade: The Surface Studio!
Click to expand...

He's a big Surface booster, so it's not surprising, but the limited time I've spent with Cintiqs in the past has not made me interested in spending money on them.

Given the prices and the positive reception to the iPad Pro's screen, it seems like it'd be far more worth it to figure out a new workflow for drawing on the iPad and then chuck it to my computer than it would be to spend hundreds more for an inferior option from Wacom; and if I really really really can't give up my PhotoShop, there's the Surface.

At this point the Intuous line seems more and more pointless, as they're so expensive still that it seems bizarre not to get a more direct method of drawing on-screen.
 
I for one am glad that companies are recognizing the room for improvement in the stylus/ computer landscape. As an artist this new sense of competition promises some exciting changes to technology advancements compared to what we've been currently experiencing.
 
As someone who does traditionally hand drawn animation, I will always want the comfort of a cintiq for pencil tests and linework. But fuck it, mate, I don't make money with the traditional animation compared to everything else that I can do just fine in an Intuos.
 
whats the next best thing compared to an intuos or cintiq?

i feel like wacom is still the king of pen/tablet/display tech.

unfortunately they are still very expensive...
 
heckmanimation said:
whats the next best thing compared to an intuos or cintiq?

i feel like wacom is still the king of pen/tablet/display tech.

unfortunately they are still very expensive...
Click to expand...

Yiynovas have been very good cheap alternatives to cintiqs, check them out.
 
What is the best for professional work on the adobe suite anyways? I was eyeing a Wacom or Cintiq years ago, but have been using kb/m on my laptop--now I'm out of the loop on what's new.
 
J-Tier said:
What is the best for professional work on the adobe suite anyways? I was eyeing a Wacom or Cintiq years ago, but have been using kb/m on my laptop--now I'm out of the loop on what's new.
Click to expand...
I personally prefer Mac for Adobe programs, but it's still fantastic on my PC.
 
I'm mostly happy with my iPad Pro + Pencil. My Wacom collects dust at this point. I just want Apple to release a "pro" Pencil with different nibs, and want the native ability to use my iPad Pro as an external tablet for the Mac.

I think Wacom are going to way of Kodak – they'll stick around, but in a vastly reduced form, targeting pro users who still need specialized equipment. Eventually they may just sell off the company; I'm sure their patent portfolio is desirable.
 
heckmanimation said:
whats the next best thing compared to an intuos or cintiq?

i feel like wacom is still the king of pen/tablet/display tech.

unfortunately they are still very expensive...
Click to expand...

Like someone else mentioned, Yiynova can be pretty good.

And Huion, I've also had some alright direct experience with their 22" cintiq equivalent, the GT-220. Program compatibility/driver support can be spotty at times, but when you're paying almost 1/3rd the cost of a Cintiq you tend to come to terms with those things.
 
I'm happy to see more competition. I've been using Intuos tablets since the late 90s and I just want Wacom to finally wake up.

Unfortunately as mentioned Wacom has become synonymous with tablet stylus hardware. But what Microsoft unveiled today is damn exciting
 
ipad pro? I wouldn't even compare that, unless you can just plug and play and use the ipad pro like a cintiq.
The surface studio sure looks neat but unless there's a device that I can plug in to my pc and use it like a tablet I don't see how any of these are a direct competition for wacom.
 
WillyFive said:
They will crash and burn unless they start getting competitive. They can't ride their brand name forever.
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People wanted to risk exploding phones just to use a phablet w/Wacom tech.

The devices may have been burning, but demand is not crashing. ;)
 
my 27" cintiq is built like a tank, and the last surface pro i tried (the 3, i think?) at the local MS store literally had screen flex when i pressed down with the stylus. perhaps that was just a demo unit quirk? it didn't inspire much confidence, either way.

i know a handful of people who use a surface as their daily driver but most people who draw for living just seem to get a cintiq eventually. it's nice to see some competition in this market, though. wacom could definitely use a fire under their ass.
 
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