As I am responsible for setting up the office here in Manila, I was shocked as to the state of technology here. It's not that decent technology can't be found - eventually it can be. It's just more difficult to find. Gone are the days of just running into the local Best Buy and finding exactly what you need for a good price. Gone are the days of Internet shopping from New Egg or other online retailer - fast delivery, cheap prices. hehe - a thing of the past for me.
Now I'm relegated to not only paying a HUGE incremental for both hardware and software, but there is a tremendous lead time to receive the goods you wish to get. Sure, you can buy technology same-day, but it may be a lesser brand or not the specification you want. If you are looking for a specific model of HP printer, or a high-end Nvidia graphic card - good luck. You may have to wait 30-45 days until it can arrive from overseas distribution points.
The problem as I see it is that foreign tech companies are not serving the Philippines directly. I guess there isn't a big enough market here. I know that Dell doesn't go direct here, and neither does HP. It all comes from Singapore.
Of course this is a big problem for running a business here. The costs, lead times, and availability of technology are a huge disincentives for productivity. And the large incremental on pricing only contributed to piracy. In the US I could get a copy of Autodesk 3D Studio Max for $2800 USD, but here it' s more like $5000. Same holds true for Microsoft software, Adobe, and other software makers. What incentive do they have here to get the legitimate stuff? Very little. I imagine this is a similar issue in other emerging markets as well.
Eric Marlow
aka "Snacko"
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