Farewell to the poor man's computer paradise

[Lite Beer]

EDITORIAL
Farewell to the poor man's computer paradise
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- With phones, tablets so easily discarded, Pantip Plaza has opted for a new business concept, yet we lose much in the trade-off

Until last year, Pantip Plaza was a frequent destination for even the cleverest of computer geeks. It was the place to discover how your desktop computer could become a lot more powerful without spending a fortune, even as the prices of RAM utilities, hard drives, CD-ROMs, printers or scanners were falling all around.

But times have changed, and what was once a paradise for tech-savvy consumers has succumbed to the forces of retail gravity.

The curtain has all but come down on the "computer mall" for shoppers of limited income. Pantip is being refurbished with upmarket intentions and will re-emerge as an ultramodern "technology centre", offering the same type of gear and services as before but with much higher price tags.

The rationale for the revamp includes customers' evolving behaviour and the building's nightmarish parking facilities, which in recent years have combined to winnow consumer interest in the once-bustling mall, abetted by a slew of disruptive reconstruction and renovation efforts. There were indeed days when the place felt like a ghost town.

As well, computer owners no longer need to visit Pantip Plaza for upgrades, repairs or accessory purchases. It's often cheaper to simply discard your old unit and buy a new one. The boom in the tablet and smartphone markets has ensured that almost every department store and community mall stocks whatever we need. The newer IT gadgets don't need fixing, per se - now you just "upgrade" - and that's what really knocked the wind out of the Plaza.

The current big changes at Pantip affect more than the shoppers and shop owners. Countless young people found jobs there in its heyday and turned into tech experts, acquiring impressive knowledge in a short time that 10 years in school could not have taught them.

It's been said that a major exodus of vendors is on the cards. That might well fit into the grand new business concept, but management must be aware that it has to somehow restore Pantip's reputation as an unrivalled playground for technology enthusiasts. This is hardly a matter of nostalgia: If that reputation is lost forever, no amount of effort in rebranding will succeed, and the mall will face very tough times ahead.

There is a flaw in the argument that Pantip Plaza must be reborn because it's now so much cheaper and easier to buy a new device than "chop and change" or "plug and re-plug". There were in fact undeniable benefits to these more awkward approaches - they ensured that the market belonged mainly to the buyers. Their shopping habits guided the prices, they acquired considerable knowledge of their own, and they determined what they wanted or didn't want.

"Updating" a gadget by throwing it away and buying a new one might be the relatively cheap course these days, and it can certainly be done quickly. The downside, though, is that it leaves users with far less say in the market, and denies them the fun of learning as they go. The market seems to be moving further away from the buyers.

The "old Pantip" gave IT users a voice and a measure of influence that had to be respected.

The "new Pantip" might be shinier, with better parking, but it's also a place where the producers and sellers decide what's best. Perhaps there is a degree of nostalgia at play, as strange as that word sounds in the context of high technology, but surely it's outweighed by the hope that Pantip can regain its crown in the kingdom of gadgets.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/opinion/Farewell-to-the-poor-mans-computer-paradise-30263704.html

-- The Nation 2015-07-04

[ezzra]

By the grace of god, and by sheer luck, that place never had a major accident or caught on fire,

had it happened, many people would have lost their lives there, other than that, Pantip Plaza

was the place to go and cemented Thailand reputation as can do place among all countries

in the region...

[canuckamuck]

Funny they didn't mention you can get what you need from the WWW so why go though the hassle of finding your way to Pantip.

It's an ugly mall, desperately in need of a face lift. I am sure that the prices will remain competitive nut the variety may change.

[zaphod reborn]

The Thai techies go to Fortune Town, not Panthip.

[thedemon]

A bit sad but inevitable. The Nation makes no mention of what made Pantip world famous during it's heyday - Pirated software.

I think it is the internet that put Pantip into commercial decline.

[jacky54]

Horrible place full of rip offs, idiotic 'service' centers and boys grabbing your arm to buy porn discs. Fortune was always better than this dump

Edited July 4, 2015 by jacky54

[NanLaew]

Funny they didn't mention you can get what you need from the WWW so why go though the hassle of finding your way to Pantip.

It's an ugly mall, desperately in need of a face lift. I am sure that the prices will remain competitive nut the variety may change.

Online shopping is for those that know exactly what they want and didn't really take off in Thailand until quite recently when the likes of invadeit started trading.

Regardless of web shopping, the true geek would trawl the aisles at Pantip looking at stuff that isn't on websites and ultimately buying junk he didn't know he needed.

A bit sad but inevitable. The Nation makes no mention of what made Pantip world famous during it's heyday - Pirated software.

I think it is the internet that put Pantip into commercial decline.

...and the porn. Don't forget about the porn.

[easybullet3]

it's now so much cheaper and easier to buy a new device than "chop and change"

The "computer mall" for shoppers of limited income

What absolute rubbish!!!

its far cheaper to fix a broken hard driver, or replace a keyboard or even replace a whole LCD screen, than to buy a new device!!!

who on earth came up with this rationale ?

also: since when is it the place for shoppers with 'limited income' ? or was it refering to people that dont want to pay 1,000 baht for a small Apple-Cable, when they can get a chinese copy one for 150 baht ?

because, to me, that is not 'limited income', but it is just people that know its not necessary to get ripped off by Brand Name Goods.

I lived in bangkok for years, and I use Panthip often for cables, hard drives, accessories and occasionally for its computer or electrical repair shops at the back.

i find it hard to believe that the NEW Panthiop will have no one there specializing in FIxing peoples machines. because I believe they will be hard-pressed to find enough Expensive retailers to fill all of their Retail Space.

companies like J.I.B and Hardware House and Banana IT have numerous branches in Panthip. (I think JIB has more than 9 branches in there)!!

they all sell Parts of COmputers. (Graphic Cards, Motherboards, hard Drives, Almost everything). - as far as Thai prices go, their prices are ok.

There is no way that the NEW Panthip wont have these stores.

i think this article is a "puff" Piece,, obviously written following a PR statment from Panthip. but in reality, i am positive its just a modern revamp with some added stores.

How can Panthip get more expensive than the REAL Samsung shop in Paragon or PowerBuy ??

the layout may change, but whats inside will be much the same (all-be-it with some nicer shop fronts).

perhaps Panthip Managment will increase rent,, so ok,, this may push up prices.

Does anyone know when this development will finish?

Edited July 4, 2015 by easybullet3

[PattayaPhom]

The Thai techies go to Fortune Town, not Panthip.

Fortune was always my preference when I lived in BKK,, great place

[CNXTim]

This article is somewhat absurd,

Thailand is no place to buy computer equipment - prices are universally outrageous.

Thailand is a dumping ground for disty's and mfr's trying to offload stuff that wouldn't sell elsewhere - Pantip was the place,

Pantip mostly carried unreliable, unwarranted junk.

Pantip was a haven for hustlers trying to sell porn on CD's

Parking?, who drives in BKK, who cares?

Coffee was good as was the food at the crazy food hall.

There were a few vendors with real knowledge, with OK kit but hard to find.

Still it was fun to see it all from the top of the rarely working escalator.

And , i will miss it, so Thai.

I hope the vendors find new ways to make a living, it is tough in the LoS,

[quandow]

I'll still go for the A&W just outside.

[jimstar1]

Where will a those Lovely people from Nepal go to work and Taut now

Oh well we still have a floor at M B K

[fvw53]

The Thai techies go to Fortune Town, not Panthip.

I go to ZEER Rangsit not far away from Don Muang Airport ; this is according to me closest or the same of the old Panthip Plaza but you do not see many foreigners here.

[SOTIRIOS]

...extremely overwritten article.....sorry but....yuck.....

[Johnnie99]

Seems the OP is literally one in a million.

The only foreigner to like that deathtrap of a porn seller's paradise.

[SiSePuede419]

This article is somewhat absurd,

Thailand is no place to buy computer equipment - prices are universally outrageous.

Thailand is a dumping ground for disty's and mfr's trying to offload stuff that wouldn't sell elsewhere - Pantip was the place,

Pantip mostly carried unreliable, unwarranted junk.

Pantip was a haven for hustlers trying to sell porn on CD's

Parking?, who drives in BKK, who cares?

Coffee was good as was the food at the crazy food hall.

There were a few vendors with real knowledge, with OK kit but hard to find.

Still it was fun to see it all from the top of the rarely working escalator.

And , i will miss it, so Thai.

I hope the vendors find new ways to make a living, it is tough in the LoS,

Ssssssh. Don't tell the "digital nomads". They have no clue you can get better deals in America. They think they're geniuses because they live in BKK...

[scorecard]

Funny they didn't mention you can get what you need from the WWW so why go though the hassle of finding your way to Pantip.

It's an ugly mall, desperately in need of a face lift. I am sure that the prices will remain competitive nut the variety may change.

One hopes the 'new Pantip' also includes some more honesty by the vendors.

[sfokevin]

If this place wanted to increase foot traffic they should build a foot bridge in the back across that klong to connect to Central World

[konying]

With that striving economy and so much money floating around what a great idea.

[Blackfish64]

I let no Thai anywhere touch any of my equipment. But now and again can find parts one needs at a decent price on this old stuff.

The better deals and boneyards are all found in America. Much better service and more knowledgeable people, too. By far and away.

I'm thinking of being done with all my old laptops and going with a Linux pad, for the long battery life and portability. Tired of being gaffed to wall outlets all the time.

[professor21]

went to Zeer but the prices didn't seem great, by the grace of God found someone to fix my laptop before closing but the screen was still damaged and had a line in it

[KittenKong]

Pantip is being refurbished with upmarket intentions and will re-emerge as an ultramodern "technology centre", offering the same type of gear and services as before but with much higher price tags.

Thai economics in action: when sales drop you paint the walls and increase your prices, but whatever you do dont actually improve your product.

That may be why there are so many failing shops and businesses here.

[Guest]

You have to love an article whose thesis is "Goodbye to this uber useful place" ... and then goes to great lengths to prove it has outlived its usefulness

I love Pantip Plaza and on more than one occasion, have had my techie there repair things that were .. anywhere else ... "Sorry, broken, buy a new one"

You see, the Pantip vendors have a deep history in tech that goes waaaaaaaaaaay back They can repair and fix .. anything!

So, this article is flawed. It is wrong. Pantip's utility is not replaceable at the "Power Mall" In fact, that is laughable.

In short, i do not beleive the author of this piece has much expereince with a busted laptop, need of an out of date power supplt, a burned out laptop bulb .... etc .. and really does not get that at the "Power Mall" you are LUCKY if the "clerk" (person staring at i phone play candy crush) even knows where the NEW stuff is.

Swear to god, went to the power mall, standing IN FRONT of the Samsung display, "Excuse me, can you help me with the Samsung Phones?"

"Samsung, no have"

[Artist]

For over a decade Pantip has been the main reason I stop over in Bangkok on my way from Australia to our arts guest house in Nong Khai. Mainly for inexpensive software but also upgrades to Windows computers.

Now I hardly use Windows, we have 3 Chromebooks, 2 Android phones, several (unused) tablets and everything we do is in the Cloud.

So we have stopped stopping over in Bangkok, we just fly on to Udon Thani

I shall miss the hubbub and cacophony of Pantip with its speakers blaring, trying to get past the porn merchants, eating cheap food, negotiating a price for cds, going through the catalogues of cd covers, writing down the numbers and waiting for the copies to come hot off the press. A lot of fun.

[gandalf12]

The Thai techies go to Fortune Town, not Panthip.

I go to ZEER Rangsit not far away from Don Muang Airport ; this is according to me closest or the same of the old Panthip Plaza but you do not see many foreigners here.

And you can buy just about anything in Zeer

[Anthony5]

Pantip is being refurbished with upmarket intentions and will re-emerge as an ultramodern "technology centre", offering the same type of gear and services as before but with much higher price tags.

So, sexy movie will be 500 Baht instead of 100 next time?

[WhizBang]

I have many memories of Pantip. I used to frequent it a lot in the previous decade, but stopped going and switched to Fortune when the MRT started running. I cannot remember the last time I went to Pantip.

[Sayonarax]

Pantip is a noobs Paradise.

[alfalfa19]

I used to love this place. On my first few trips to Thailand, that would be my first stop, after getting situated in bkk. XP, Vista, Photoshop, Dreamweaver, etc, etc. But on my last 3 visits there, I found many of the dvds and cds to carry viruses, thus not worth buying. I would never buy HW there, of course. And the porn-vending insects grabbing my shirt and saying: "Meethter, Meethter, I have theckthee deeveedee for you!!" really put a big damper on the pantip experience for the last few years.

[NoshowJones]

Funny they didn't mention you can get what you need from the WWW so why go though the hassle of finding your way to Pantip.

It's an ugly mall, desperately in need of a face lift. I am sure that the prices will remain competitive nut the variety may change.

What's WWW?