iPad Accessories in the Philippines

Several stores are now selling iPad cases and accessories in the Philippines. I went around a few malls this afternoon and I just wanted to share some of the iPad stuff I was able to find. Expect more to come next week though as more shops realize that there are a lot of iPad owners already locally. In fact I no longer get surprised when I see someone whip out an iPad in a coffee shop or a restaurant. There was one time I was in iStudio in Shangrila and I saw like 4 people having screen protectors applied on their iPads. You have got to hand it to Filipinos. If there’s a will, there’s a way! Lol. Anyway, list of accessories with short reviews and their locations after the break.

I’ll divide the accessories into screen guards, covers, folios, and skins.

Screen Guard
Capdase: there are two kinds of covers. Try to get the matte version because it makes your screen smudge resistant. Sells for 990 in iStudio branches. The viramall and shangrila branches still have a lot of stocks last time I checked. You can also buy from the capdase store in SM North Edsa Annex.

Snake Shield: I haven’t tried this yet but I heard good reviews. Sells for 1250 in PowerMac stores and is matte. The SM North Edsa branch still has a lot of stock available.

Generic brands: If you’re on a tight budget, you can just go around the various cellphone vendors in Viramall and they’re selling screen protectors for as low as 300. The quality though is very questionable. Don’t be surprised if they don’t properly put it on your iPad or it gets smudged a lot.

Covers
Silicon: There are a lot of Silicon covers being sold already in Viramall. They come in different colors and the prices range from P250-P500. Infomax, one of the first stores to sell accessories locally, charged a hefty P1700 for these silicon back covers when the iPad first came out. I wasn’t able to catch the brand but there are a lot of multi-colored back covers being sold in PowerMac for 1250.

The Capdase Silicon back cover is also available in various stores in Greenhills and SM Annex. The Capdase branch in Annex still has some stock and it sells for P1490.

Plastic Back Covers:
PowerMac is selling Snake Shield back cases which already come with a clear screen protector which is priced at a little over P1500. The Viramall vendors are also selling lower quality plastic cases but at a more affordable price range of P400-P600.

You can also order online. I bought a SwitchEasy Nude iPad Case via their website and it arrived in less than 3 days. Superb customer service. Local credit cards will work and it will cost you $45 USD with shipping.

Folios
Faux generic covers: Infomax initially sold these at a whopping P2500. If you take a stroll inside the cellphone tiangge area of Viramall, you’ll see the same product being sold in multiply colors for just P450. My main problem with this case is that if you’re not careful the iPad will slip out and crash to the floor, lol. Other than that it’s cool for it’s price. There’s a stand at the back which you can use to prop up the iPad in portrait mode.

Griffin: If I wasn’t able to get myself an Apple Original Case, I would probably have went for this one instead. The Griffin leather case is available in PowerMac and sells for P3200. I saw two more stocks being sold at SM North Edsa Annex. It has a beautiful black cover and there’s space inside for your credit cards and whatnot.

Skins
Wrapsol: For those who like their iPads “naked” then this is a good solution. Wrapsol is an invisible plastic skin protector which will shield your iPads from scratches. It was initially available at Digital Hub in Greenhills but quickly got sold out after a few days. Owner said that they should have stocks this week.

And that’s it for now! If you know of any other places to get accessories and cases, please do let everyone know by leaving a comment below and I’ll just update this entry afterwards.