Phones and iPhones in Thailand

I recently posted an article talking about the iPhone 6. You can buy them in Thailand before general availbility. The real ones, not copies. The copies are also starting to show up in the phone stores. Some of them run Android with an IOS 8 skin. Some of them have iPhone 5s guts built inside of them.

What causes these to show up in Asia, and especially why Thailand?

The answer is super incredible competition that is hyper-fast. A week ago the iPhone 6 copies were hush-hush. Now, you can see them in retail cases everywhere. A few of the real-deal iPhone 6 are also available for the moneyed.

The Thai are acutely image conscious. They actively look at each other and are aware of what phone you are using. If you have an iPhone 6 in your hands you will get asked about it. That might not happen in America.

in America a mall might have six or ten phone booths. But in Thailand a mall will have 100 or 500 phone store booths. Each has their secret sources of supply, each is trying to stand out and be unique. Something new like an iPhone 6 cannot go unnoticed.

Already you can buy iPhone 6 cases in 4.7″ and 5.5″ sizes. I am starting to see iPhone 6 sized battery packs. The entire iPhone 6 ecosystem is alive and in high gear in Thailand. That’s why you are more likely to find an iPhone 6 in a rural village of Thailand than in New York City.

Just take a look at the photographs of a typical mall in Thailand. This floor is dedicated to phone stores. They will fix your phone, modify it, upgrade it, unlock it, and trade it in. It’s pretty incredible.

Competition is a good thing. It’s why in Thailand you can get 9GB of high speed (16 Megabit) data and a month of service for $21 including taxes.

Click to enlarge photo.