Wacom Technology today announced that its entire professional line of Intuos intelligent graphics tablets will be available in USB (Universal Serial Bus) versions allowing, among other advantages, full cross-platform compatibility between PC and Mac computers.
The USB Intuos tablets were shown for the first time at the opening today of Macworld Expo/New York (Booth #855).
Sales in limited quantities of the new USB Intuos line began today. Full national availability is scheduled within two weeks, by August 1 for Intuos USBs in 6"x8", 9"x12", 12" x 12", and 12"x18" active areas. The smallest 4"x5" Intuos USB is set for volume shipping beginning September 15.
The new USB line of Intuos tablets supplement existing PC serial port and Mac ADB port versions, which will continue to be available.
USB Tablet Advantages
The USB "hot-swapping" feature eliminates the need to shut down and restart a PC to attach or remove a peripheral. Instead the PC automatically detects the peripheral and configures the necessary hardware. Hot-swapping is especially useful for users sharing peripherals.
USB also lets many peripherals, up to 127, to be connected at one time. Many USB PCs come with two USB ports, and adding multiple-port USB hubs allows more units to be connected.
System Requirements
To be USB capable, a computer must have a USB port and an operating system that supports USB. On the Mac, USB tablet users will need Mac OS 8.5 or later. On the PC, USB tablet users will need Windows 98.
Support for Intuos Advanced Features
Innovative features of the Intuos intelligent graphics tablet system include the Intuos Pen with 1,024 pressure levels, four times more than before; the Intuos true digital Airbrush with a pressure- and tilt-sensitive spray point and a separate fingerwheel to control ink flow; and the Intuos 4D Mouse, a cordless, pressure-sensitive unit that provides rotational and zoom capabilities.
Software currently taking advantage of some or all of the new Intuos capabilities include:
- Amorphium (Play Incorporated)
- Cinema 4D Marvin, available 2d half 1999 (MAXON)
- Commotion(TM) 2.0 (Puffin Designs)
- Corel PHOTO-PAINT 9 (Corel)
- Deep Paint(TM) (Right Hemisphere)
- Deep Paint(TM) 3D (Right Hemisphere)
- Painter (MetaCreations)
- Painter Classic (MetaCreations)
- PenTools(TM) Photoshop Plugins (Wacom)
- Photoshop(TM) via Wacom plug-in (Adobe)
- Smither(TM) (Konshus)
Prices for the USB tablets will remain the same : the 4"x5" for $199.99; the 6"x8" for $383.99; the 9"x12" for $509.99; the 12" x 12" for $509.99; and the 12"x18" for $819.99. All tablets come with the award-winning cordless, pressure-sensitive Intuos pen. Two sizes, the 9"x12" and 12"x18" also come with the cordless and pressure-sensitive Intuos 4D Mouse.