is a Japanese multinational electronics manufacturing corporation headquartered in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan. Its products include calculators, 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

In April 1946, (1917–1993), an engineer specializing in fabrication technology,

Kashio Seisakujo's first original product was the yubiwa (finger ring) pipe, that would hold a cigarette, allowing the wearer to smoke the cigarette down to its nub while also preventing burned fingertips and leaving the wearer's hands free. Japan was impoverished following World War II, so cigarettes were valuable, and the invention was a success.

thumb|left|Casio's model 14-A, produced in 1957, was Japan's first electronic calculator

In 1949, after seeing the electric calculators at the first Business Show in Ginza, Tokyo, 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.

In 1954, after dozens of prototypes were tested, the desk-sized calculator was finished 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.

In June 1957, Casio Computer Co., Ltd. was formed by the four Kashio brothers, Tadao, Toshio, Kazuo, and Yukio. the first all-electric compact calculator, which was based on relay technology.

In 1974, Casio released its first digital wristwatch, called the CASIOTRON. It was the first wristwatch in the world to include an automatic calendar function. In 1977, it 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. 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. During the 1980s and 1990s, Casio introduced a wide range of innovative watches featuring advanced and futuristic functions for their time. Among these was the Casio AT-550, a model equipped with a built-in calculator and a touchscreen interface, reflecting the company’s emphasis on integrating emerging digital technologies into wristwatch design.

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

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 its line of digital keyboards and digital pianos between 2013 and 2018, in breach of the United Kingdom's Competition Act 1998.

Products

Casio's products include watches, calculators, electronic keyboards and other digital products such as digital cameras (Exilim series), film cameras, cash registers, laptops and sub-notebook computers, mobile phones, PDAs (E-Data Bank), electronic dictionaries, digital diaries (early PDAs), electronic games, personal computers (e.g. FP-1000, FP-200), computer printers, clocks, and portable televisions.

In the 1970s and 80s, Casio was best known for its electronic (including scientific) calculators, electronic musical instruments and affordable digital watches incorporating innovative technology. Today, Casio is most commonly known for making durable and reliable electronic products. The G-Shock range of shock-resistant watches is also very popular, with the original 1983 G-Shock DW-5000C being highly sought after by collectors. The scientific calculators made by Casio especially the CLASSWIZ series of calculators are known for being affordable while incorporating a host of functions as compared to its competitors.

Casio also makes products for local markets, including "Prayer Compass" watch series designed to help Muslims pray on time and in the right direction.

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File:Casio EX-word XD-Z6500 in 201901 003.jpg|EX-word XD-Z6500 Electronic dictionary

File:Cassiopeia 26d06.jpg|Cassiopeia PDA

File:Casio Exilim ZR800 Front B1107.jpg|ZR800 Digital camera

File:Casio Exilim EX-S1 and EX-S600.jpg|EX-S1 and EX-S600 Digital cameras

File:Au W63CA Titanium Gold 1.jpg|W63CA Mobile phone

File:Casiofx-122S.jpg|V.P.A.M. fx-122S Scientific calculator

File:Casio fx-102 (1976).jpg|fx-102 (1976)

File:Casio calculator JS-20WK in 201901 002.jpg|JF-20WK premium desk calculator

File:Casio-fx115ES-5564-plainbg.jpg|fx-115ES Scientific calculator with Natural Display

File:FC-100V.jpg|FC-100V financial calculator

File:Casio QL-10 - combination of pocket calculator and cigarette lighter, circa 1978.jpg|QL-10 Pocket calculator with a built in cigarette lighter

File:Casio FX-700P.JPG|Casio FX-700P programmable calculator

File:Casio fx-7000G FullLength.JPG|fx-7000G, the first graphing calculator

File:Casio EX-word Dataplus 4 XD-SF6200 and fx-CG50.jpg|EX-word XD-SF6200 electronic dictionary (left) and fx-CG50 graphing calculator (right)

File:Casio message mode examen.jpg|FX CP-400 Classpad colour touchscreen calculator

File:Casio Calculator with external memory (16431858006).jpg|PB-110 Databank calculator with external tape recorder dock

File:Kassensystem CASIO.jpg|V-R200 point of sale system

File:CASIO Label Printer.JPG|KL-60 Label Printer

File:Casio PB-770 IMG 4272.jpg|PB-770 pocket computer, with FA-11 extension dock

File:Casio Digital Diary SF-R20 open.JPG|SF-R20 Digital Diary (early PDA)

File:Watch and calculator.jpg|TS-150 watch (left) and FX-991EX scientific calculator (right)

File:Casio Sport outgear SGW-400HD-1BV.jpg|Casio Sport OutGear SGW-400HD-1BV

File:Casio F-91W 5051.jpg|F-91W Digital watch

File:Casio mtp4700.jpg|MTP 4700 - Pilot watch

File:Casio efa120.jpg|EFA 120 - Edifice watch

File:Casio W-96H-4A2V.jpg|W-96H Digital watch

File:Casio wmp1 docking station.JPG|WMP1 portable MP3 watch

File:Wikipedia-Casio-G-Shock-Edelstahl-800.jpg|GMW-B5000 A G-Shock watch with full metal construction

File:Casio EQW M 1000 d.jpg|Edifice EQW-M1000 multi-function analog watch

File:Edifice ECB-800D-1A.jpg|Edifice ECB-800D-1A

File:Casio Edifice EQB-1100D-1A wrist watch.jpg|Edifice EQB-1100D-1A

File:CASIO ATC-1100 (2058507659).jpg|ATC-1100 Triple Sensor Watch

File:Casio PRW-1000TJ 01.JPG|Pro Trek PRW-1000TJ Triple Sensor Watch in compass mode

File:Twincept.jpg|ProTrek PRT-505 "TwinCept" watch

File:2019120304 Casio ProTrek PRW 60Y-1AER display stopwatch 2019.jpg|PRW-60Y ProTrek triple sensor ana-digi watch with tough movement technology

File:Casio G-Shock Master of G Rangeman GW-9400J-1JF.jpg|G-Shock GW9400 Rangeman watch with triple sensors and tough solar technology

File:Casio Tough Solar Wave Ceptor.jpg|Tough Solar "Wave Ceptor" watch

File:Casio vl tone.jpg|VL-Tone VL-1

File:Casio SK-1.jpg|Sampletone SK-1

File:Casiotone 201.jpg|Casiotone 201

File:Casio CZ-1.jpg|CZ-1 digital synthesizer

File:Casio az1.jpg|AZ-1 keytar

File:Casio PG-380 synth guitar.jpg|PG-380 MIDI Guitar

File:CASIO DH-800.jpg|DH-800 Digital Horn

File:Casio CTK-496 keyboard.jpg|CTK-496 home keyboard

File:Casio WK-200 details 1.jpg|WK-200 workstation keyboard

File:Casio Privia PX-130.jpg|Privia PX-130 digital piano

File:Casio Celviano AP620.jpg|Celviano AP-620

File:Casio Privia PX-330.jpg|Privia PX-330

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See also

  • Casio graphic calculators
  • Quartz crisis
  • Seiko
  • Timex

Notes

References

  • Casio Worldwide