Current Wacom Tablet Driver for Mavericks installs ANDROID File Transfer App by default!

Posted:
in Genius Bar edited May 2014
For those that are experiencing problems using Mavericks with their Wacom tablets.

While I've found some solutions to the problems reported on the following forum threads, I think it's [B]scandalous and worthy of AI[/B] to report and to ask questions of Wacom regarding this matter.

Here is a quote from a [URL=http://forum.wacom.eu/viewtopic.php?p=58434#p58434]moderator on their forum[/URL]:

[QUOTE]We need to apologize for the inconvenience here.
[B][I]It seems that the needed information has not been added to the public FAQ...[/I][/B]

Use the Android File Transfer tool in the "Wacom Tablet" folder. It is used similar to the Finder.
By default Android devices cannot be accessed as USB drive from OS X. The manufacturer of the device needs to specifically alter Android to allow this.
Since Wacom uses a mostly unaltered standard Android, it is needed to use the free Android File Transfer software from Google (http://www.android.com/filetransfer/) to access the files on OS X[/QUOTE]

My posts on the topic:

http://forum.wacom.eu/viewtopic.php?p=60897#p60897
http://forums.adobe.com/message/5982127#5982127
http://forums.macrumors.com/showpost.php?p=18595287&postcount=16

German Installation Applications ->Wacom:

Translation:
Android File Transfer
Wacom Desktop Center (duh :)
Wacom Display Settings
Wacom Utility

[IMG ALT=""]http://forums.appleinsider.com/content/type/61/id/36929/width/350/height/700[/IMG]

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 5

    Downloading Flash from Adobe 

     

    1. requires you to have adblock turned off, otherwise the link cycles around to adobe.com

    2. Downloads and installs Chrome by default unless you specifically untick the box

     

    Evil companies do this all the time.

  • Reply 2 of 5
    gatorguygatorguy Posts: 24,176member
    Downloading Flash from Adobe 

    1. requires you to have adblock turned off, otherwise the link cycles around to adobe.com
    2. Downloads and installs Chrome by default unless you specifically untick the box

    Evil companies do this all the time.

    I absolutely hate that too. Oracle was bundling the scammy and near impossible to remove Ask Toolbar with Java updates by default unless you un-ckecked it. They apparently have no intention of changing that practice either. How stuff like that is even allowed is sad.
    http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9236273/Oracle_will_continue_to_bundle_crapware_with_Java
  • Reply 3 of 5
    Re: Oracle Java - yes they're still doing that with the Ask Toolbar on Windows. On one of the Macs I'm delivering this morning I've installed a Windows 7 VM where I ran across it.

    Re: Wacom - I still can't can't get over the notion though, WHY is Wacom doing Google's bidding by installing a FILE TRANSFER app with a driver... that doesn't work I might add... For a device that already has some ver nice profit margins?

    I can get my head around piggyback installs to monetize free products... but a Wacom tablet and it's accessories if you ever need replacements is far, far from free. Also, there's no information or the ability to "deselect it" at installation.

    Do we as Mac users now have to check install log files to see what crap a company is installing to remove shit we do not need? In fact, in the case that this is a driver... Does Apple even allow companies to do this? This is a MALWARE vector style of attack in my book, even if I am savy enough to delete it... What else is there that I don't know about?

    Scandalous AFAIC and I'm actually pretty P****ed off about it. And to be honest, this could even be Samsung up to their tricks because they're the only ones licensing Wacom tech in their devices...:mad:
  • Reply 4 of 5
    Just want to add that regardless of tha Samsung trick remark, which I doubt due to Wacom being a Japanese co., I still have to question wacom's decision to do this and I believe it's against Apple's Dev License...or?

    Edited to add: I'm not done yet... because I truly do think that this topic qulaifies as a headline article, and let the news and blog services pick it up. 1) I would like to hear what the Mac community at large thinks of this practise, and 2) I think this practise needs to be stopped immediately before some other software houses get on the train. It's a serious pain in the A** on Windows, and I for one DO NOT EVER want to see this crap gaining a foothold on Apple devices!
  • Reply 5 of 5

    There is nothing "scandalous" about it.

     

    The Android File Transfer program is used to transfer files to/from a Cintiq Companion Hybrid. The Companion Hybrid is supported by the same driver as a regular Cintiq or Intuos. An awesome device, by the way - I got mine a few months ago.

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