Where are the units coming from?
I believe they are coming from Singapore. And I am not surprised as the Phils always gets gear a day late and a dollar short. I said it before and will say it again. The PHILS is not a "high end" market volume wise and probably a very very small market at that. We are the dumping ground for older and dated technology. We get 2011 and early 2012 when the world is unveiling 2013.
Yes, the units are Singapore models. Don't forget that last year's 42VT30 and 50VT30 are still currently available at Panny Singapore, side by side with the 2012 models:
http://www.panasonic.com.sg/wps/portal/home/products/digitalav/tv/vieraplasmatv/vtseriesplasmatv... And I am not surprised as the Phils always gets gear a day late and a dollar short. I said it before and will say it again. The PHILS is not a "high end" market volume wise and probably a very very small market at that. We are the dumping ground for older and dated technology. We get 2011 and early 2012 when the world is unveiling 2013.
That's not how I see it. I think Panny Philippines is a distributor that is out of touch with the Philippine market.
The strength of Panasonic TV lies in its plasma models. Does the local distributor emphasize Panny's plasmas? No, it emphasizes LCD/LED.
You say the Philippines is a small market, that's why it's a dumping ground for older models. If so, why does Panny Phil. have the latest model 65ST50S (2012) available for the local market? (This is also a Singapore import, based on the country code "S" at the end of the model number):
http://www.panasonic.com.ph/wps/portal/home/products/digitalav/tv/0So many members have been waiting for a 50ST50. Panny Phil. doesn't have it. But it does have a 65ST50 -- not only is it a latest-model series, it's also bigger and more expensive than what the average local plasma buyer wants.
It's not a case of a dumping ground market, it's a case of a distributor being out of touch with its own market.