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Headquarters in Shibuya, Tokyo |
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Native name |
カシオ計算機株式会社 |
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Romanized name |
Kashio Keisanki Kabushiki-gaisha |
| Company type | Public (K.K) |
| TYO: 6952 | |
| Industry | Electronics |
| Founded |
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| Founders |
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| Headquarters | Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan[2] |
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Area served |
Worldwide |
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Key people |
Kazuhiro Kashio (President and CEO) |
| Products | |
| Revenue |  ¥252.3 billion (2022)[3] |
| ¥22.01 billion (2022)[3] |
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| ¥15.89 billion (2022)[3] |
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| Total assets | ¥337.3 billion (2022)[3] |
| Total equity | ¥218.9 billion (2022)[3] |
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Number of employees |
10,152 (2022)[4] |
| Website | world |
Casio Computer Co., Ltd.[note 1] (カシオ計算機株式会社, Kashio Keisanki Kabushiki-gaisha) is a Japanese multinational electronics manufacturing corporation headquartered in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan. Its products include calculators, mobile phones, digital cameras, electronic musical instruments, and analogue and digital watches. It was founded in 1946, and in 1957 introduced the first entirely compact electronic calculator. It was an early digital camera innovator, and during the 1980s and 1990s, the company developed numerous affordable home electronic keyboards for musicians along with introducing the first mass-produced digital watches.
History[edit]
Casio was established as Kashio Seisakujo in April 1946 by Tadao Kashio [ja] (1917–1993), an engineer specializing in fabrication technology.[1] Kashio's first major product was the yubiwa pipe, a finger ring that would hold a cigarette, allowing the wearer to smoke the cigarette down to its nub while also leaving the wearer's hands free.[5] Japan was impoverished immediately following World War II, so cigarettes were valuable, and the invention was a success.
After seeing the electric calculators at the first Business Show in Ginza, Tokyo in 1949, Kashio and his younger brothers (Toshio, Kazuo, and Yukio) used their profits from the yubiwa pipe to develop their calculators. Most of the calculators at that time worked using gears and could be operated by hand using a crank or using a motor (see adding machine).
Toshio possessed some knowledge of electronics and set out to make a calculator using solenoids. After dozens of prototypes were tested, the desk-sized calculator was finished in 1954 and was Japan's first electro-mechanical calculator. One of the central and more important innovations of the calculator was its adoption of the 10-key number pad; at that time other calculators were using a "full keypad", which meant that each place in the number (1s, 10s, 100s, etc ...) had nine keys. Another distinguishing innovation was the use of a single display window instead of the three display windows (one for each argument and one for the answer) used in other calculators.[1][6]
Casio Computer Co., Ltd. was formed in June 1957.[1] That year, Casio released the Model 14-A, sold for 485,000 yen,[7] the first all-electric compact calculator, which was based on relay technology.[8]
In 1974, Casio released their first digital wristwatch, called the CASIOTRON. It was the first wristwatch in the world to include an automatic calendar function.[9] In 1977, they released a retro-futuristic wristwatch, called the F100. The watch was one of the first wristwatches in the world to be made primarily out of resin, making it very light compared to other companies' heavy metal-made watches and enabling future Casio watches to enter mass production more easily.[10] In 1989, Casio released another important wristwatch; the F-91W, the most sold wristwatch in the world with an annual production of 3 million units.[11]
In the 1980s, Casio's budget electronic instruments and its line of affordable home electronic musical keyboard instruments became popular. The company also became well known for the wide variety and innovation of its wristwatches. It was one of the earliest manufacturers of quartz watches, both digital and analog. It also began selling calculator watches during this time. Casio also introduced one of the first watches that could display the time in many different time zones of the world and with features like recording temperature, atmospheric-pressure and altitude. In the later years, Casio's wristwatches were fitted with receivers to synchronise with radio towers around the world and Global Positioning System for timekeeping accuracy.
A number of notable digital camera innovations have also been made by Casio, including the QV-10, the first consumer digital camera with a liquid-crystal display (LCD) on the back[12] (developed by a team led by Hiroyuki Suetaka in 1995), the first consumer three-megapixel camera, the first true ultra-compact model, and the first digital camera to incorporate ceramic lens technology, using Lumicera.[13]
In July 2019, the company's UK arm, Casio Electronics Co. Ltd, was fined £3.7 million after admitting resale price maintenance (a form of price-fixing) on their line of digital keyboards and digital pianos between 2013 and 2018, in breach of the United Kingdom's Competition Act 1998.[14][15]
Casio stopped selling cameras in the US several years ago, and it threw in the towel globally in 2018. In this article we'll take a look back at the innovations that Casio came up with, going all the way back to the mid 1990s.
The story begins in 1994, when Casio introduced the 0.25 Megapixel QV-10, the first consumer digital camera with an LCD and live view (the QV-10A, a variation, is pictured above). It also had a rotating lens that would not only reappear on several other Casio cameras, but on several Nikon and Sony models, as well.
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The QV-700 showing off Casio's trademark rotating lens and low-res LCD. That F2 lens had a focal length equivalent to 38mm. The tiny sensor size combined with the F19-equivalent lens allowed the QV-700 to be fixed focus. Image courtesy of www.digicammuseum.de, Boris Jakubaschk |
The real innovations occurred in 1998 with the release of the QV-700. It offered pre- and post-shot buffering, similar to what Olympus calls Pro Capture today. While it didn't take many shots, the QV-700 let you save a few images before or after you pressed the shutter release.
Not long after the QV-700 came the QV-7000SX, which brought with it a sort-of movie mode (32 frames at 160 x 120, with no audio) and in-camera panorama stitching (something some cameras still don't have). It also created an HTML page on your memory card that you could load up in Netscape to browse through your photos.
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Note the large IR transmitter/receiver on the front of the QV-7000SX. It could beam photos to the small number of devices that supported the IrTran-P protocol. Image courtesy of www.digicammuseum.de, Boris Jakubaschk |
The QV-7000SX also offered support for infrared image transfer (later called IrDA), which was a very slow way of wirelessly beaming photos to compatible devices. Both Sony and Sharp were involved in IrDA, with the former offering a camera and printer with this feature.
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| Two of the more conventional Best Shot modes | |
Casio was a pioneer of scene modes, which it called Best Shot modes. And Casio really loved Best Shot modes, with 2001's QV-4000 including one hundred of them on an included CD-ROM. Some personal favorites include 'photo at hotel', 'photo of a toadstool', and 'photo of a fishing catch'.
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| Step 2 in the Coupling Shot feature: We've already taken the photo of the first person, so now you can line up the second in the right spot. | And we're done. |
One feature from that era that did not catch on was 'coupling shot'. Essentially a multiple exposure mode for taking photos of yourself and another person without giving the camera to a stranger to take the photo for you, you took a photo of one person, whose 'ghost' was shown on the LCD. You then put the other person in the frame, making sure they were in the right spot, and took the 'second half' of the photo.
A few years later, the Exilim EX-ZR400 offered a green screen feature that let you paste a subject you've photographed onto a different background.
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Something more helpful than self-portraits and green screens that Casio pioneered were guide modes (Casio called this Manual Assist), which are on some – but not nearly enough – modern cameras. As shown above, visual aids showed the effect of changing aperture and shutter speed.
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| The Exilim EX-F1 Pro could shoot at 60 fps and also had in-body image stabilization and 1080/60p video capture. |
One final way in which Casio really separated itself from the pack was the sheer speed of its cameras. The company's cameras were lightning fast, whether when shooting bursts, navigating menus or reviewing photos. One standout was 2008's Exilim Pro EX-F1, which could take full resolution (6MP) images at 60 fps (for one second) and 1200 fps if you dropped the resolution (way) down.
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| After setting up the three lines, the camera will capture video of your swing, which you can view later in slow motion. |
Casio used that speed for a unique use case on its EX-FC500S: analyzing golf swings. The camera could capture your swing from the front, back and side (and yes, it asked if you were a lefty or a righty). By lining yourself up with a virtual golfer on the display, the FC500S would automatically start and stop recording during your swing. All of this was captured at up to 240 fps and could be started by pressing a button, using a smartphone or waving your hand at the camera. The FC500S was never sold in the U.S., but you can find it on eBay once in a while.
Once 2010 or so arrived, other companies had surpassed Casio in most respects. Maybe not in terms of innovative features and speed, but certainly technology and image quality. The company made unremarkable compacts for a few more years (including the very awkward TRYX), until finally fading away. I do miss Casio cameras, not because they took amazing photos, but because they broke the mold and were fun to use. RIP, Casio: gone, but not forgotten.
CASIO VINTAGE — A PIECE OF CONTEMPORARY HISTORY
In 1974, the Japanese company CASIO set a milestone in the history of watches by developing one of the first digital wristwatches in the world.
The CASIO Vintage collection skillfully transports the stylish and characteristic watch design of the 70s and 80s into the present.
Here is a brief overview of the last few decades and how they still influence us today.
The 70s
"Make Love not War" was the motto of the Flower Power movement in the 70s.
Hippie culture influenced the fashion of the decade and became a mega trend along with disco fashion:
Clogs and platform shoes, flared trousers and floral patterns, hot pants, jumpsuits and overalls.
1974
CASIO set a milestone in watch history in 1974 with the Casiotron.
The world's first LCD wristwatch, with a fully automatic calendar.
Today
Fashion in the 70s was about individuality and the expression of personality.
We love this idea, and that's why our B640 glitter is our homage to 70s disco glam.
The 80s
In terms of fashion, the 80s meant shoulder pads and puffy sleeves, oversize blazers and carrot pants.
Thanks to dance movies like Flashdance and Dirty Dancing, leggings, bodysuits and legwarmers, especially in neon colours, were in hot demand. Anything went as long as it was funky and wild.
1980
The revolutionary calculator watch C-80 was referred to as a "microcomputer" for the wrist. CASIO's computer technology was used in the keyboard.
1984
CASIO's idea behind the model: The wristwatch evolved from a timepiece to an information device on the wrist. The CD-40 had memory for 10 phone numbers of 16 characters each and thus replaced the phone book on a small scale. It turned into a successful concept and six million units were sold over the next five years.
1984
CASIO presented the first wristwatch with combined digital-analogue display. The successor model AQ-230 is still popular today.
1985
The "Paperwatch" PELA FS-10 was the flattest wristwatch in the world.
The idea behind it: The watch case and strap were made of one piece. At only 3.9 mm in height and weighing 12 g, the PELA gained instant popularity. It was the first watch model to reach sales figures in the millions.
Today
Anyone can juggle numbers with a smartphone, right? For this reason, CASIO Vintage is reviving the revolutionary calculator watch from the 80s with the DBC and CA models.
The 90s
Time for techno and hip hop:
In the 90s, people expressed their fashion choices with flashy outfits in bright colours and platform shoes as ravers
or by wearing extra-wide baggy pants to hip-hop beats. Whether comfortable or experimental: Anything went as long as it's loud.
1995
Thanks to radio signal reception, FKT-100 models always show the correct time.
1990
Vintage models, like the A159WGEA-1, became all-time classics.
The typical watch case shape became the characteristic feature of the brand.
Today
A mix of digital and analogue watch — very much in the style of the FKT-100 model from the 90s,
CASIO Vintage also has something in store in the current line-up with the models of the AQ series.
The 21st century
A futuristic look with metallic fabrics or completely in denim outfit, one thing was clear: In the first decade of the new millennium hip jeans and crop tops, show a lot of skin!
2001
A168WA-1: As a unisex model, the silver-coloured A168WA impresses with its sporty look and functions such as stopwatch, alarm and automatic calendar.
2007
DBC-32D-1AES: The calculator watch from the 80s has been relaunched. Store important phone numbers or pins on your database.
With a battery life of 10 years, the DBC-32D is a reliable partner.
2009
A168WG-9: The gold-coloured ICONIC model is a Vintage classic
and can be combined with sporty as well as chic outfits.
Today
Matching watches to the provocative looks from the 2000s are available in the EDGY collection — EDGY stands for square and angular.
The charismatic watches from this collection will add that special something to any outfit.
2010
Modern fashion is a collection of highlights from decades past.
CASIO thought so, too, and has given the icons of the past from the CASIO Collection
a new shine — resulting in the birth of CASIO Vintage and something to suit every style.
2017
The case of the LTP-E140 models is characterised by its simple elegance.
The filigree Milanese strap is robust and is very pleasant to wear due to the delicate workmanship.
2018
The classic Vintage models shone in 2018 in a new and extraordinary splendor.
In the display, two diamonds were embedded in each.
2018
The popular A168 model appears in a new look and in different colours:
The display has a mirror look.
2019
The A700 series revives the design of a Vintage model from the 80s. The striking angular watch face paired with the just 6 mm thin case is a winning combination.
The A700 is available in gold and silver and with a classic or Milanese strap.
2019
The high-quality materials make the A1000 watch from the Premium series a particularly durable accessory. In addition, the three individually designed pink-gold tones from light to dark have been included in the portfolio.
Today
Find your personal highlight among the looks of the past decades in the current CASIO Vintage watches collection.
Whether ICONIC, MINI, ROUND or EDGY, there is something to suit every style here.