Intuos5

Wacom launched the new Intuos5 in Europe today! It will be in the U.S. soon, but no date yet.

The most talked about feature is the multitouch gesture support and “Express View” head-up display software and soft-touch feel. You will be able to create custom gestures while the head-up display shows current tablet settings on your computer screen. The gestures are similar to an Apple iPad where you can use 3 fingers to zoom in or out, for example.

The new Intuos5 will support all standard Windows and Mac multitouch gestures. The different tablet sizes are 13×8″, 6×8″ and 4×6″.

With the new Wacom tablets avaialble, I suspect the Intuos4 tablets will go down in price. Intuos5 is currently priced at £200 to £430 in Europe. They come in three sizes, 13×8″, 6×8″ and 4×6″. The small is priced at $229.95, medium at $349.95, and the large at $469.95. A pen-only version of the small tablet will also be available, but a price has not been confirmed yet. An optional wireless accessory kit is available to convert your Intuos into a wireless tablet to make it more convenient and comfortable.

I’m not sure how much better the Intuos5 will be compared to the Intuos4 model. So far, it seems like they are trying to keep up with technology by adding standard and custom gestures. Some people may argue that this new feature is not enough to make them upgrade. I can see how designers who are new to using a Wacom tablet and are used to using gestures will enjoy this new Wacom tablet the most. I want to keep an open mind since it launched today and there aren’t enough reviews yet, but based on what I know, I do not recommend upgrading yet.