Good news for artists on the move: Wacom, eminent purveyor of tablets such as the affordable Bamboo, mid-range Intuos and high-end Cintiq, may be producing its own portable slate.
Microsoft's Surface Pro already uses Wacom software to provide pressure sensitivity, which other tablets such as the iPad don't offer, and Wacom says that developers are working around the clock to bring the Wacom tablet to market by summer.
The company's U.S. branch posted to its Facebook page, "We’ve heard you shouting out loud for a Wacom mobile tablet for creative uses. Well… we’re listening. We’ve read your email and spoken to many about an on-the-go dream device. It will come. This summer. We’re working 24/7 on it. And yes, it has a real pressure-sensitive professional pen, smooth multi-touch, an HD display, and other valuable features that you haven’t seen in other tablets."
Some commenters suggested that the Wacom standalone slate could be a response to the Yiynova line of pen tablet monitors, which is far more affordable than the Cintiq.
Although Wacom functionality has been used in devices such as the Galaxy Note and Surface Pro, its own hardware line has always been limited to peripherals, which need a host computer in order to operate. The biggest challenge for Wacom, according to TechCrunch, is making the Wacom tablet affordable. Its most affordable Cintiq, the 12Wx, has its own display but costs $899. The larger Cintiqs can run you over $3,000.
Penny Arcade creator Mike Kraluhik had some time with the Surface Pro and loved it — but the MS Surface Pro pretty much functions as a regular laptop. TechCrunch speculates that the Wacom tablet would run Android, but a Windows 8 OS isn't beyond the realm of possibility.
All we know for sure is what Wacom has said in its status update: full HD screen, pressure-sensitive pen, multi-touch functionality. We expect to hear about some more specs as summer draws closer. With so much experience adding pressure sensitivity to mobile devices, Wacom probably won't have too much of a problem producing a truly portable platform for artists to work on, although some may prefer a model with a larger display.
