What I want for Christmas is a touchscreen tablet PC. Right now, my options are narrowed down to the Apple iPad, the Samsung Galaxy Tab and the Toshiba Folio 100. My major, major problem, though, is that neither of these products have been officially launched in the Philippines yet and it looks like they still won’t be released anytime soon.
However, unofficial versions are already available in the Philippine market, and this might be one’s chance to own these units prior to the official launch.
As for the Apple iPad, I already spotted several stores in Greenhills selling the unit anywhere between P30,000 (US$681) and P50,000 (US1,136) depending on the storage capacity and WiFi or 3G capability. They seem to be original units shipped from another country (smuggled or not, I don’t know). I’m just not sure how long their warranty offer is and where they can actually repair the unit should it get broken. Of course, you cannot rely on official Apple stores since these are unofficial iPad units.
In various local classifieds ads sites, several iPads are being sold at roughly the same price. Personally, I’m not keen on buying them unless they are unopened and verified bought from an official Apple store in another country.
I’ll have to decide first whether to get an iPad or a Galaxy Tab or a Folio 100. But if you already want to get hold of an Apple iPad, head over to Greenhills or search local classified ads sites. Or you can also buy from Amazon.com:
