Is it time to buy the iPad in Thailand?

Posted on September 15, 2010

China is the latest country to launch the iPad which comes out there on Friday 17th September 2010. In the past, Thailand has received Apple products before China but not this time. We still have no official release dates for Thailand which is getting a bit strange now. Rivals to Apple are already bringing out their own tablets and rumours are now rife that the 2nd generation iPad could come out at Christmas or early next year!

To help you make a decision as whether to buy now or wait I have researched the present prices for the iPad. The following prices are worked out on exchange rates for today and should be used as a rough estimate. They already include VAT and sales tax.

In the UK they have both the Wifi and 3G versions:
Wifi: 16GB 20,472 baht, 32GB 23,812 baht and 64 GB 28,584 baht.
3G: 16GB 25,244 baht, 32GB 28,584 baht and 64 GB 33,357 baht.

In the US they have both the Wifi and 3G versions:
Wifi: 16GB 17,170 baht, 32GB 20,560 baht and 64 GB 23,951 baht.
3G: 16GB 21,578 baht, 32GB 24,968 baht and 64 GB 28,359 baht.

The prices for the iPad in Thailand have been dropping in the grey market as people anticipate the official release. I got the following prices from a vendor at MBK in Bangkok yesterday:

WiFi: 16GB 18,000 baht, 32GB 22,000 baht, 64GB 25,500 baht
3G: 16GB 22,600 baht, 32GB 25,800 baht, 64GB 29,000 baht

As you can see, the prices are now very comparable to the UK and the US. In fact these prices are cheaper than in the UK due to the high 17.5% VAT there. So, if you are thinking about buying an iPad, then maybe now is the time to buy!

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Jamie
September 20th, 2010 - 10:32

If you buy now before the official release in Thailand you will face a problem with the warranty. If something goes wrong with your iPad you won’t be able to take it to a Apple service center.

As to which one to buy, I was originally going to buy the WiFi version but changed to 3G at the last minute. I then bought a cheap 99 baht SIM card which I top up as and when I need it. It is the kind of thing that you might regret not having if you just go for the WiFi version.

As to the size, I was luckily advised to go for the 32GB version and not the more expensive 64GB. As it turns out this was good advice as I still haven’t used more than 20 GB. I synch with the computer often so no problem to add or remove content as and when I need them.

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On this blog I will be sharing with you tips and methods of using an iPhone and iPad in Thailand. I am not pretending to be an expert, but I hope that from my personal experience of using an iPhone for my work and pleasure you might gain some knowledge. As well as reviewing apps that I use, I will also post about accessories and also the latest news from around the world.

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