May be this Wacom worth to wait...

I think you had a defective T902. Mine is pretty much perfect, but overkill for how I use it. I should probably sell it at some point. They are really nice machines, but sometimes there are defective ones.

 

How was the 13HD a disappointment?

I owned a 12WX a while back. I was not impressed with the 12WX and moved on to the 21UX as soon as I could. Too many cables and jumpiness along the edges were a pain. I bought it thinking that it would be mobile but it really wasn't. Decided if I was going to be bound to a desk, I might as well have a larger drawing surface.

 

I think a lot of people who are being negative towards the Companion are making some pretty big statements toward the units without actually having ever tried one. If you ask me, a Cintiq 13HD that has a built in PC with specs that rival (or in some cases, better) the specs of my current desktop unit is nothing short of amazing. I cannot wait for mine.

I am sure my T902 was defective, but I don't want to try my luck on a unit that I know has a number of common glitches in hopes that I get one that works well enough for me to "settle" and deal with said issues. I got lucky enough to be offered a refund on a non returnable, refurbished T902. I'd worry too much about getting another lemon and having Fujitsu not be so kind next time around. It definitely seems like an awesome machine, and I can see where people are very happy with theirs. So please don't take anything I am saying about the T902 as me talking smack about it. I guess it's just not the machine for me.

 

I think something people aren't factoring in with these Cintiq devices (especially the Hybrid) is that they both have touchscreens. Wacom currently charges an extra $500 to make the Cintiq 22HD with touch and $1100 for adding touch to the 24HD model.

The Companion Hybrid is a 13HD ($999) + a touch layer which you can't currently get (but I'm sure is coming) + a current high end android tablet for $1499-1599. I just find that interesting. Most of the people you hear complaining, are complaining about price, but don't realize that this is a Cintiq first and android tablet second. They expect Android tablets to be $500-600, but this isn't that.

A lot of people will compare it with the Note 10.1 2014 edition as well. But the digitizer tech is far different and you can't use the Note 10.1 with full Windows software when plugged to a computer. I'm actually thinking of replacing my Wacom Cintiq 21UX and just using the Hybrid instead. Sure it's smaller, but I've never used the whole screen of my 21UX so the 13HD size might actually be perfect. This is where I expect it to shine. Sketch ideas on my couch. Plug the Hybrid into my computer and work in MS 5 for bringing illustrations to completion.

Also, as you said, not many people have held the Companions in their hands yet. Seems like only a handful of people really. They aren't technically released yet.

 

That and a lot of people were saying that they would rather the Surface Pro 2 instead of the companion, and now that the specs and prices were revealed yesterday, I don't see the competition. I ordered the 256GB companion and the similarly speced Surface Pro 2 is only about $600 cheaper than the Companion I ordered. Honestly when I am spending that much money on a device for work, I'd rather spend the extra $600 and just get exactly what I want. That's just me though. I can see where the Companion line (and pretty much every other Wacom product) is really expensive. But at the same time, from my experience, they always seem to be worth what I pay. They last me a long time and work reliably. My Cintiq 21UX is 6 years old or so and still works just as well as they day I bought it. I can't say that about any other computing device or peripheral I've owned.

 

I agree that the price isn't bad for what you get (still to see what problems or issues it ships with of course, I'm sure it's not perfect.) I would gladly spend the money for something that lasts. I think the only real gripe people have against it that makes total sense to me --and irks me as well-- is once again the issue of them holding back the cintiq-ability of the Companion Pro. It wouldn't have been difficult for them to make the full windows version a cintiq too, which would have made it worth it's weight in gold thanks to the lasting ability as a cintiq.

Yuureikun, your 21UX is an investment that will not become outdated and slow for current programs because it always gets plugged into newer computers when you buy them. A worthwhile investment for sure.

The Companion Pro is last years CPU's, so already a year outdated upon receiving it. It's no slouch, about as powerful as a Surface Pro 2, sure, but with less battery life (which you can't replace either, unlike the components of the T902 or an X230t, etc) and when you compare the SurfacePro 2 512gig/8gigram option vs. Wacom Companion 512/8gig the price difference is a $900!

At least paying a mint for the T902, (with it's flaws) you get a more powerful unit (lasts longer before being outdated), with user upgrade-ability and replaceable batteries.

All that said, I agree that for some artists the Companion might be a really good choice and the least amount of compromise. I just think they could have knocked it out of the park, but they held back... perhaps to protect their current cintiq line-up, perhaps so that it would be more than a one time invesment, or maybe just out of ignorance... who knows.

 

I'm not too worried about it being "outdated". And I was speaking more about te build quality of the 21UX lasting me 6 years rather than comparing it to a PC spec wise or anything like that. I feel like Wacom makes some very rugged products that are made to physically last.

I am one who finds an art software I am comfortable with and sticking to it for as long as I possibly can. The only reason I ever have upgraded photoshop is because I was having issues with my old versions crashing on newer versions if windows that came on my new computers. But honestly, an i7 1.9ghz processor, and 8 gigs of ram will absolutely chew up and spit out the illustration and comic work that I do for years to come. I know there are artists who do similar work on machines that boast MUCH less spec wise and don't have issues. Especially since I use mostly lightweight programs like Sai and may try Manga Studio 5. I only use photoshop for effects and print finalization. I think the Companion will be the right thing for me.

I guess we will see in a month or so. I will make sure to take lots of pretty pictures and give as in depth in pressings as I can. I've never really gotten such a big product right at its launch before so it will be a first for me, haha!

 

Thats acctually a non issue given Wacoms extemely horrid Markup on adding Touch to their Cintiqs.

Virtually every other Tablet PC vendor has been able to add Capactative Touch to their Tablets and Laptops without any significant increase in price. Even when Wacom added Multi-touch to its Bamboos and Intuos Tablets, the priceing pretty much remained equal to the previous Non-touch generation. In this day and age, adding Touch is dirt cheap. When Wacom unveiled their 24HD Touch...they jacked the price up by a ridiculous $1100, and the $500-600 for the 22HD is equally ridiculous. If you really want to defend Wacom, you could argue that 22 and 24 inch touch screens are produced in far fewer batchs nessesitaitng a higher price, but for the 13HD, there is no remote rational excuse for Wacom to jack the price up for touch other then the simple fact that Wacom knows people will foolishly pay that much.

 

I really think it's silly to call anyone "foolish" for buying a tool that they want. If you are happy with another companies offerings and aren't feeling what Wacom has to offer, that is fine. No one is putting a gun to anyone's head and forcing anyone to buy anything they don't want. I find the Companion to be very well worth the price for a professional tool, and I know I am not the only one.

 

I agree with @Yuureikun. I'm not even getting the new Cintiq tablet any time soon, and I do see some of the cons (as well as the pros), but saying people are foolishly buying a product that has the features they want is way over the top.

Few, if any, of these products are identical. So when someone buys one over the others, they are voting with their $$$ on that feature set, perceived reliability (often based on history), etc.

I bought a Cintiq 21ux and I'm not even a professional artist. Am I foolish? No. I'm a hobbyist who can afford it. Others are pros for whom the cost is a part of doing efficient business.