Wacom Co., Ltd. (株式会社ワコム, Kabushiki-gaisha Wacom) (/ˈwɑːkəm/) is a Japanese company headquartered in Kazo, Saitama, Japan, that specializes in graphics tablets and related products.
The American headquarters are located in the Pearl District of Portland, Oregon, and those for Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) in Düsseldorf, Germany. Wacom is a Japanese portmanteau: Wa for "harmony", "circle" or "Japan" and Com shortened 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, Wacom also provides graphical input technology for some tablet computers, which it calls "Penabled Technology".
Wacom tablet functionality was used in the screen of the Compaq Concerto computer in 1992, making it an early tablet computer. In 1991, Wacom chips were used in the Samsung Penmaster tablet computer which was also sold as the GridPad SL by Grid Systems. The Penmaster had an early precursor to Samsung's S Pen, known today for its inclusion in the Galaxy Note line of phones, which also use Wacom's technology to power the S Pen, since its conception with the Galaxy Note line of phones in 2011.
