Samsung solidifies commitment to S Pen with 5% stake purchase in Wacom
Samsung’s been the biggest proponent of digitized displays and styluses ever since the original Galaxy Note reached shores everywhere, and with several devices out since then — including a possible 8 inch Galaxy Note said to debut next month — it’s become a huge part of Samsung’s mobile strategy. The Galaxy Note series has taken off and Samsung wants to make sure it has a more solid relationship with its partner Wacom.
What better way to solidify said relationship than a purchase of a 5% stake in the company? That’s right, Samsung will fork over $58.9 million in cash to grab itself a small piece of Wacom’s legacy, giving it minority voting rights in the biggest digital stylus company you’ll find. In turn, Wacom will scratch Samsung’s back by funneling that money back into product research and development, improvements to their manufacturing process and enhancements to its supply systems so that it can serve Samsung even better.
Samsung spear-headed the “phablet” movement back in 2011, but it wasn’t until the second edition of the Galaxy Note that things really took off. Not only did Samsung see huge success with the Galaxy Note 2, but its competitors have identified a budding market that seems ripe for the taking in 2013. This purchase gives Samsung an even sturdier leg up on the competition as they look to stay ahead of the smartphone curve with the innovation that the S Pen brings.
Samsung is rumored to be bringing S Pen support to its Galaxy S line in due time, though we can’t say for sure those rumors are solid. We’re not even sure when, exactly, Samsung is looking to unveil the phone so our eyes are set on the Galaxy Note 8.0, a tablet that we should be seeing in the news by the time Mobile World Congress kicks off late next month.