Intensifying Competition and Obsolescence of Input Technology
First written in FY2016. 11 of 23 entries say "Worsened", first in FY2017-Q1. Latest entry: FY2026.
Wacom moved to the "Worse" side of this theme in 2016, 9 years before the typical company in this theme (2025).
The whole theme swung hardest in 2025: 16 of 47 companies on the "Worse" side.
72 other companies' latest entry also says "Restated".
- FY2026RestatedAnnual report
「In the creative market, the following factors have emerged: ① changes in the tools required due to changes in workflows, the general adoption of generative AI, changes in the device environment and intensifying competition; ② changes in consumer trends accompanying a global cooling of consumption resulting from shifts in trade policy and other policies; and ③ the impact of investment being put on hold in the media and entertainment market due to a recession in the VFX market.」
The company continues to identify generative AI, workflow changes, a cooling of consumption and a recession in the VFX market as factors affecting intensifying competition and technological obsolescence. - FY2025WorsenedAnnual report
「In the creative market, the following factors have emerged: ① changes in the tools required due to changes in workflows, the general adoption of generative AI, changes in the device environment and intensifying competition; ② changes in consumer trends accompanying a global cooling of consumption resulting from shifts in trade policy and other policies; and ③ the impact of investment being put on hold in the media and entertainment market due to a recession in the VFX market.」
The factors affecting the risks of competition and technological obsolescence have expanded to include generative AI, workflow changes, intensifying competition, a cooling of consumption and a recession in the VFX market. - FY2025-H1RestatedAnnual report
「In the Creative Solutions business, sales of both display products and pen tablet products declined amid changes in market conditions, and revenue fell below that of the same period of the previous year.」
The impact of competition and demand resulting from changes in market conditions continued to reduce sales of display products and pen tablet products. - FY2024-Q2RestatedAnnual report
「In the Creative Solutions business, sales of both display products and pen tablet products declined amid changes in market conditions, and revenue fell below that of the same period of the previous year.」
Competition and changes in the market environment for products equipped with digital pens continued to reduce sales of display products and pen tablet products. - FY2023-Q1WorsenedAnnual report
「As the market for tablets equipped with digital pens expanded and the competitive environment changed significantly, sales of the Windows 10 creative tablet Wacom MobileStudio Pro fell well below those of the same period of the previous year.」
The continuing major changes in the competitive environment were reflected in sales of MobileStudio Pro falling well below those of the same period of the previous year. - FY2022-Q3RestatedAnnual report
「As the market for tablets equipped with digital pens expanded and the competitive environment changed significantly, sales of mobile products exceeded those of the same period of the previous year, aided by the Windows 10 creative tablet Wacom MobileStudio Pro.」
While continuing to recognize the expansion of the market for tablets equipped with digital pens and changes in the competitive environment, the disclosure states that mobile product sales exceeded those of the same period of the previous year, aided by MobileStudio Pro. - FY2021-Q3RestatedAnnual report
「As the market for tablets equipped with digital pens expanded and the competitive environment changed significantly, sales of mobile products slightly exceeded those of the same period of the previous year, aided by the contribution of the Windows 10 creative tablet Wacom MobileStudio Pro announced in the third quarter of the previous consolidated fiscal year.」
While recognizing the expansion of the market for tablets equipped with digital pens and changes in the competitive environment, the disclosure states that sales of mobile products slightly exceeded those of the same period of the previous year, aided by MobileStudio Pro. - FY2020-Q3RestatedAnnual report
「As the market for tablets equipped with digital pens expanded and the competitive environment changed significantly, the company announced the Windows 10 creative tablet Wacom MobileStudio Pro 16 in October 2019 and Wacom MobileStudio Pro 13 in December 2019, updating its product lineup. During the cumulative third quarter of the current consolidated fiscal year, sales of existing models remained sluggish, and total sales of mobile products were substantially below those of the same period of the previous year.」
While describing sluggish sales resulting from changes in the competitive environment and the life cycles of existing mobile products, the company also updated its product lineup by announcing new models. - FY2020-Q2WorsenedAnnual report
「As the market for tablets equipped with digital pens expanded and the competitive environment changed significantly, sales of the core product Wacom MobileStudio Pro remained sluggish because it entered the latter stage of its product life cycle.」
The impact of changes in the competitive environment and the product entering the latter stage of its life cycle continues to be reflected in sluggish sales of the core MobileStudio Pro. - FY2020-Q1WorsenedAnnual report
「As the market for tablets equipped with digital pens expanded and the competitive environment changed significantly, sales of the core product Wacom MobileStudio Pro remained sluggish because it entered the latter stage of its product life cycle.」
The impact of major changes in the competitive environment and the product entering the latter stage of its life cycle continues to be reflected in sluggish sales of the core MobileStudio Pro. - FY2019WorsenedAnnual report
「As the market for tablets equipped with digital pens expanded and the competitive environment changed significantly, sales of the core product Wacom MobileStudio Pro fell substantially because it entered the latter stage of its product life cycle.」
The impact of changes in the competitive environment and products entering the latter stage of their life cycles materialized as a substantial decline in sales of the core mobile products. Intuos has also continued to experience lower sales due to delayed market penetration of the new product and the effects of competition. - FY2019-Q3WorsenedAnnual report
「Sales of Wacom Intuos declined because the new product announced in March 2018 did not achieve sufficient market penetration and was affected by the competitive environment. The low-priced entry-level model One by Wacom, which acquired many new users in emerging regions last year, also fell slightly short of sales in the same period of the previous year.」
The impact of changes in the competitive environment extended beyond the former core mobile products to delayed market penetration of mid- to low-priced pen tablets and new products, materializing as lower sales across multiple products. - FY2019-Q2WorsenedAnnual report
「In the cumulative second quarter of the current consolidated fiscal year, in the Creative Business, market penetration of mid- to low-priced pen tablet models did not progress due to changes in the competitive environment, while sales of existing mobile products in the latter stage of their product life cycles declined. As a result, total sales in the branded products business were slightly below those of the same period of the previous year.」
The impact of changes in the competitive environment extended beyond MobileStudio Pro to mid- to low-priced pen tablets, with delayed market penetration and products entering the latter stage of their life cycles continuing to reduce business revenue. - FY2019-Q1MaterialisedAnnual report
「As the market for tablets equipped with digital pens expanded and the competitive environment changed significantly, sales of the core product Wacom MobileStudio Pro fell substantially because it entered the latter stage of its product life cycle.」
Changes in the competitive environment and the later stage of the product life cycle were reflected in actual results as a substantial decline in sales of the core mobile product. - FY2018RestatedAnnual report
「Our group’s basic strategy is to develop products and conduct marketing for global markets. However, if competitors specializing in particular regions adopt extreme market strategies to gain regional market share, or use domestic industrial protection policies or other measures to impede our group’s market entry, this may affect business performance.」
The company continues to recognize region-focused competitors, protectionist policies, technological obsolescence and the emergence of alternative input methods as competitive risks. - FY2018-Q3RestatedAnnual report
「The market for tablets equipped with digital pens expanded, bringing major changes to the competitive environment. At the same time, demand continued for our high-function models that support professional creators’ production processes, and sales of the new Wacom MobileStudio Pro, announced in the previous fiscal year, remained steady. Total sales of mobile products exceeded those of the same period of the previous year.」
The disclosure recognizes changes in the competitive environment resulting from the expansion of the market for tablets equipped with digital pens, while also describing sustained demand for high-function models. - FY2018-Q2RestatedAnnual report
「The market for tablets equipped with digital pens expanded, bringing major changes to the competitive environment. At the same time, demand continued for our high-function models that support professional creators’ production processes, and sales of the new Wacom MobileStudio Pro, announced in the previous fiscal year, remained strong. Total sales of mobile products were well above the same period of the previous year.」
The disclosure recognizes changes in the competitive environment accompanying the expansion of the market for tablets equipped with digital pens, while also describing sustained demand for high-function models and strong sales of MobileStudio Pro. - FY2018-Q1RestatedAnnual report
「The market for tablets equipped with digital pens expanded, bringing major changes to the competitive environment. At the same time, demand continued for our high-function models that support professional creators’ production processes, and sales of the new Wacom MobileStudio Pro, launched in the previous fiscal year, remained strong. Total sales of mobile products were well above the same period of the previous year.」
While continuing to describe changes in the competitive environment resulting from the expansion of tablets equipped with digital pens, the disclosure also describes sustained demand for high-function models and strong sales of MobileStudio Pro. - FY2017WorsenedAnnual report
「If competitors specializing in particular regions adopt extreme market strategies to gain regional market share, or use domestic industrial protection policies or other measures to impede our group’s market entry, this may affect business performance. In addition, if our technology becomes obsolete in a short period, or if an input method entirely different from pen tablets emerges and rapidly gains widespread adoption, this may affect business performance.」
Changes in the competitive environment continued and were reflected in actual results through difficulties faced by products such as Cintiq Companion 2 and lower sales across the entire product line. - FY2017-Q3WorsenedAnnual report
「The high-function creative tablet Cintiq Companion 2 struggled in nearly all regions, due to changes in the competitive environment resulting from the increase in tablet products equipped with digital pens and its entry into a transition period in the product cycle.」
Changes in the competitive environment resulting from the increase in tablets equipped with digital pens materialized as difficulties in nearly all regions, together with the transition period in the product cycle. - FY2017-Q2WorsenedAnnual report
「The high-function creative tablet Cintiq Companion 2 saw sales fall well below the same period of the previous year in nearly all regions, due to changes in the competitive environment resulting from the increase in tablet products equipped with digital pens and its entry into a transition period in the product life cycle.」
Changes in the competitive environment are described in connection with a substantial decline in sales of major mobile products in nearly all regions, broadening the scope of the risk’s impact. - FY2017-Q1WorsenedAnnual report
「In developed countries, digital pens are increasingly being incorporated into tablets, expanding the range of choices for creative users and bringing changes to the competitive environment.」
The disclosure describes changes in the competitive environment resulting from the increase in products equipped with digital pens and also identifies this as an actual factor behind lower sales of some products. - FY2016First statedAnnual report
「If our technology becomes obsolete in a short period, or if an input method entirely different from pen tablets emerges and rapidly gains widespread adoption, this may affect business performance.」
The company identifies competitors’ market strategies, protectionist policies and the spread of new input methods as competitive and technological risks.