iPad Launch in Philippines: Win or Fail?

Abe Olandres Editor-in-chief December 15, 2010 · 2 min read

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So the Apple Philippines Online Store has finally added the iPad to the online store (although the link still goes to a blank page) in preparation for the official release in the Philippines.

Other stores have been selling them too, like the iCampus in Ateneo (at much cheaper prices too).

However, the local launch seemed like a bit too late considering the initial release was way back in April. That’s about 9 months old already.

We know Steve will introduce a new iPad this summer (that’s in 3 months) and it will (hopefully) have all the upgrades people wanted on the tablet (FaceTime HD anyone?). It will also probably have higher storage capacities too.

Buying a new iPad today does not seem to be a reasonable move.

Your brand new iPad becomes obsolete in 3 or 4 months due to the introduction of a newer model.
You’ll be missing out on newer features and upgrades.
The re-sale value of your 1st gen iPad will plummet once the new iPads are announced.

On the other-hand, there’s some advantages too that favors it. For one, you get local warranty and support from official Apple Resellers.

As for the prices, the suggested retail price of iPads in the gray market have actually stabilized to the point that they’re within 5 to 10% which isn’t bad (so the wait isn’t really that worth it). I remember getting a 64GB iPad 3G+WiFi for about Php38,500 just last month from a source in Greenhills. That’s actually cheaper than the official prices.

So here’s my question to you — you think the uber-delayed launch of the iPad in the Philippines is a win or a fail? Leave your answers in the comment section below. I’m very close to call it a fail but for now, I’ll give it a tie.

When was the iPad initially released before the Philippines launch?

The initial release was back in April, making the iPad about 9 months old at the time of the local launch.

What is a disadvantage of buying a new iPad just before a new model is introduced?

The iPad becomes obsolete in 3 or 4 months due to the introduction of a newer model with upgrades.

What advantage does buying from official Apple Resellers in the Philippines offer?

Buying from official Apple Resellers provides local warranty and support.

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Abe Olandres

Editor-in-chief

Abe is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of YugaTech with over 20 years of experience in the technology industry. He is one of the pioneers of blogging in the country and is considered by many as the Father of Tech Blogging in the Philippines.

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138 Comments

John DC · 15 years ago

really what use is an ipad for a regular juan?
too big for a portable device; there are more than a dozen phones who can do better
too under powered for your common computing needs; that’s what a laptop’s for
use the money for better things in life; don’t be stupid and just ride the “cool” wave

jums from uranus · 15 years ago

mr.bogus the ever apple hater.. bitter? pinagmayabang mo na mas mahal ung gtab pro tinawag mo social climber ung fanboys? eh di ba kung social climber ung mahal ang gusto? tsk tsk tsk.. bogus tlga..

wally · 15 years ago

It failed me because i got my iPad here in the PH 3 days after the official launch in the US.

But for the others who are patient enough to wait for the local release are winners because of cheaper price and local support.

Some of the Pharma companies i know are now shifting to paperless promo materials by using iPads next year so its a win situation for them too.

Thanks to Apple for this innovation.

Quobetah · 15 years ago

Obsolete?! WTF are you talking about? My 4 year old 1st gen ipod touch is still as usable now than when I first bought it! This is an iOS device were talkinh about!

Apple releases every year, if you dont want to buy a product that gets updated within a few months after you purchased it, di wag ka bibili apple…magtyaga sa ibang substandard na brand na afterr 3 months of release kinakalimutan na ang support.:D

It is still a WIN because of the neutralization of accesory prices and most importantly service support. iPad is one of the greatest inventions ever! If your stil gonna hold out for another 3 months..kawawa ka naman. 3 months un of sana enjoying the iPad as it is now…sooobrang ganda talaga gamitin!:) Just bjy now or give it as a gift…if the upgrades on ipad 2 is really that significant, di ibenta mo. At least naenjoy mo na ang ipad experience ngaun pa lang di ba.;P

alvin · 15 years ago

TOTAL FAILURE…APPLE PRODUCTS SUCKS SO ARE THEIR PATRONIZERS.

pabs · 15 years ago

I don’t need an ipad.

Pepe · 15 years ago

The iPad, in itself, is fail to begin with =p

mickespiritu · 15 years ago

looking into the brightside… it’s a win ‘coz at least they brought it here in the Phil, so we’re not that left out at least for 9 months… FAIL ‘coz why bother have an official launch e in a few months may bago nanaman… hahahaha.!!!

al · 15 years ago

i guess this is off tiopic but i suggest that u get nook color instead,its running android and thers a hack for it already. Devs are working on it…for a tecky person ipad gets boring aftr a while there nothing much to do with it..plus the price, nook color is around 14k brand new online i dont think 1st gen ipad will go that low

gg · 15 years ago

it will take max of one year for the ipad 2 to be launched here. within that period, many people may not be able to tolerate their itch to experience the ipad, so they might just settle for the first gen.

it’s more of a business move from apple, using us to disperse all the remaining stocks of ipad. but its a win win solution I guess if they’ll be slashing a large amount on the srp..

Kobe-air · 15 years ago

Fail-win! Too late but better late than never.

jvaldez · 15 years ago

Obsolete soon, moderate features compared to other tabs and definitely expensive compared to their competitors. I would rather wait for the next one!

blue0626 · 15 years ago

it’s 300000 years late=ifail

ipad 2.0 will be released next year.

kiro · 15 years ago

I’m interested in buying one… ano po ba ang meron sa iPad na wala sa iba?

aimee · 15 years ago

winner!

anonymouslurker · 15 years ago

If the iPad will be available here, wouldn’t Apple’s AppleCare warranty apply even though you got yours from abroad? Correct me if I’m wrong but only iPhone’s are not covered by AppleCare warranty internationally, right?

If so, I think it’s still a win if early adopters will be able to have their iPads fixed here through applecare.

carlo · 15 years ago

first world gadgets
first world prices
third world considerations

jack · 15 years ago

EPIC FAIL!!!

Nag-uubos na lang siguro ng supply ng 1st gen iPads ang Apple kaya nagkaroon ng official release dito.

Wait for the iPad 2.0, sayang lang ang pagbili sa overdelayed official 1st Gen iPad dito.

raymond · 15 years ago

it’s not that bad. by the time the official launch of ipad 2 in the Philippines, that would already be december 2011. Still good for 1 year.

mike · 15 years ago

for a budget conscious / practical buyer like me I’d say it’s an epic fail. 20+ grand for a soon to be obsolete product, no thanks. But if you’ve got money to burn, I guess it’s a win.

JunAlquis · 15 years ago

fail like their iPhone antenna fail.

prosopagnosia · 15 years ago

and yet other peoples opinion are right, steve jobs is running out of ideas.. maybe he’ll release new gadgets like an iCam or an iWatch .. lol

prosopagnosia · 15 years ago

I still consider a good laptop over the iPad and I’m happy with my iPod Touch 3rd Gen and LG Optimus One :D

PaulC · 15 years ago

Epic fail.. It is e-waste already.. Give me 90% off the original price its a done deal.. hehehe :)

Robin · 15 years ago

It looks like the delayed launched allowed the “grey” market to sell at higher than SRP.

Romy uyehara · 15 years ago

Fail…. I already got my ipad from singapore just because i can’t wait for the release of the other tablets, especially those based on windows 7. I’ve heard win 7 is packaging the os for better touch screen interface. Better wait and see .

Nick · 15 years ago

Well at least it will finally arrive in the Phil online Apple store. Maybe the next gen iPad will be released much more closer to its release date.

scorer · 15 years ago

lagi na lang tayong huli sa pancitan ah- tsk tsk tsk

sana its a massive fail – and im hoping it should really fail nakakainis kasi parang tae tayo sa paningin ni El Jobso and Co. Tae Tae Tae and Pilipinas, kung yung presidente natin nagpunta pa sa states tapus -papansin street hotdog pa ang kinain anu ba yang palabas na yan nasan ang mga dignidad ninyo hehe :D ni hindi nga tayo binisita ni Obama eh nung nag Asian Tour siya, tae tayo!

let’s send them a message na hindi maganda na ganitong yung trato nila satin na parang basura

but i’ll definitely upgrade for the following if maganda review nila

iPad 2 (currently iLove my iPad, its teh best tablet user experience)

Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 (ok na din, kaso jerky ang interface pero manageable naman parang PC lang hehe)

NETGUIDES · 15 years ago

FAIL.

Bimbz · 15 years ago

FAIL! Why buy an item that will be obsolete in less than 4 months? Unless of course Apple would offer a very good “upgrade” option from Ipad to Ipad2. If that happens then I will say WIN!

cris · 15 years ago

I think waiting for the 2nd version to be released in the Philippines will face a similar delay (maybe 9 months again) so *maybe* it won’t really become obsolete in 3 or 4 months. whether the warranty will make a difference, it is hard to say – until you drop it i guess. But i still don’t know anyone personally who had to deal with that kind of grief.

For Appple – it’s a win. The Phil. as another market to unload the *obsolete* stock on

For us, the consumers – it’s a fail. personally i don’t like doing business with a company that doesn’t consider me important (no matter the real or imagined benefits or features of the product)

nav · 15 years ago

@hubes tama tama. Then they will release another generation on 2012.

ricardo isip · 15 years ago

i’ll wait for the ipad with the spec of mac book air and lion os….

AsCot · 15 years ago

@MobilePinas

Dude you should read more bout next gen ipad. it’s not just the physical design that’s buzzing up the rumor mill. it’s the upgraded specs e.i rear and front facing cameras, facetime support and retina display. wow with these, i’m gladly, willingly, patiently gonna wait.

ipad 1.0 is a BIG FAIL!

AsCot · 15 years ago

@MobilePinas

Dude you should more bout next gen ipad. it’s not just the physical design that’s buzzing up the rumor mill. it’s the upgraded specs e.i rear and front facing cameras, facetime support and retina display. wow with these, i’m gladly, willingly, patiently gonna wait.

ipad 1.0 is a BIG FAIL!

MobilePinas · 15 years ago

I think it’s more of a Win if the updates will be also offered to the older version. I also think the changes for the new iPad would be the physical design only.

deuts · 15 years ago

@hubes – in that case I guess it’s a win now. hehe

@Ferdinand – I like the “iPanis”! hahahaha

ed · 15 years ago

the only people who will benefit from this are:

1. local resellers because they can now ride on the iPad’s sales (but not as much as they would have if released a few months ago)

2. consumers who have bought their iPads months ago and require local servicing.

given that the ipad’s lifecycle is about to be refreshed with some very compelling reasons (camera); then most well informed buyers would rather wait.

the good news is that; having the product line officially released here means that it will much more faster for newer models to reach our shores.

e.g.: for iPods; it takes about a month after it gets released in the US. so its likely to be the same here. it definitely wont be dec’11 for ipad 2.

hubes · 15 years ago

problema lang when will ipad 2.0 be release here sa atin. baka Dec 2011.

Great Romances · 15 years ago

Fail, lugi ang mga bibili ngayon.
Maghintay nalang ng bagong iPad.

gringo · 15 years ago

Fail…. i think Ipad was run over by the introduction of iphone 4… ^_^

Ferdinand Angeles · 15 years ago

Dapat siguro palitan ng Apple ang pangalan ng iPad pag release sa Pinas. They can call it iPanis.

bluewire · 15 years ago

Too late for the launch…. but happy that the selling price is budget friendly. Competitive price! We dont need to go to neighboring Asian Countries like Hongkong and Singapore. Welcome iPad!

Bam · 15 years ago

FAIL! Too little too late.

Ferdinand Angeles · 15 years ago

I’m giving Apple an F+

Andre · 15 years ago

how many people already have it with it being unofficial, it being official just makes it the perfect christmas gift.

dont want an apple device that will be outdated soon? DONT GET ONE

they release every year

arnold · 15 years ago

Win! At that low price point, it’s still a good buy for the majority of consumers who didn’t get out of their way to buy an iPad from the grey market.

Of course, I’m referring to regular Yugatech readers because we’re already waiting for iPad 2 but for the other Filipino consumers who will chance upon the iPad readily available on “regular” stores.

mr. bogus · 15 years ago

SUPER MEGA DUPER FAIL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

anong petsa na! sabagay may mga tao puro pang yabang lang ang kaalaman o mga social climber, bibilhin nila to for sure!

still galaxy tab pa rin, mas maraming features at MAS MAHAL sa ipad.. (ouch fanboy`s).

AsCot · 15 years ago

UBBBBEEEEERRRR DDEEELLLLAAAYYYYEEEEDDD I know i’m a Filipino and Steve Jobs probably thinks Filipinos are stupid but i’m not gonna fall into this cheap trap.. i’d rather wait for ipad 2.0! i waited 9mos to get one.. don’t u think I can’t wait 3 more for somethinhs 5 times better at relatively same price???