Following a ban of almost five months, Apple’s iPhone 16 series has now been made available to the Indonesian market. The sale of the phone series was previously prohibited in Indonesia in October last year, due to the brand failing to meet local requirements that at least 40 percent of smartphone components be made from domestic parts.
Apple previously proposed an investment of US$100 million (~RM442 million) by building an accessory and component plant in Indonesia. Local authorities stated at the time that it was not enough to meet its country’s principle of fairness, which requires foreign companies to set up local factories and facilities. The country insisted that it wanted the company to commit to new investments until 2026, and the prohibition continued.
Now, the entire Apple iPhone 16 series is available for sale in Indonesia. It can be purchased from the brand’s authorised Indonesian resellers, Digimap and iBox, with orders scheduled to be delivered within 1 to 3 working days. According to the director of digital economy at the Centre of Economic and Law Studies (CELIOS) Nailul Huda, Indonesia is one of Apple’s biggest markets in the Asian region, excluding China and a few others.
Negotiations between Apple and Indonesia apparently led to investment commitments being raised as high as US$1 billion(~RM4.42 billion). According to GSMArena, the final deal was set at US$300 million(~RM1.3 billion) from the company. This includes the country having a manufacturing facility for the brand’s AirTag trackers, along with a designated facility for accessories. Additional R & D centers are expected to be established, along with an investment in local academies for students.
(Sources: Apple, GSMArena, NST)
Manisha Dharmendra contributed to this article.
