Tech giant Apple has reportedly offered to increase its investment into Indonesia to persuade the government to lift its sales ban on the iPhone 16.

The proposal would reportedly see Apple invest almost US$100 million into the country, people familiar to the matter said to media. In addition, the US$100 million investment would contain a research and development center programme and a professional developer academy too, according to media reports. 

Febri Hendri Antoni Arif, spokesperson to Indonesia’s ministry of industry reportedly said that minister Agus Gumiwant Kartasasmita held an internal meeting to discuss the meeting. Of which, it revealed that Apple also planned to produce accessory product components such as the AirPods Max mesh, from July 2025 in Bandung.

During the meeting, the ministry considered whether the investment value offered by Apple is fair when compared to other investment destination countries such as Vietnam and India, said Febri. At the same time, the ministry also deliberated on whether the proposal would be fair for other investors in the mobile phone, handheld computer and tablet segments in Indonesia. 

Earlier in November this year, the Indonesian government said that Apple’s latest iPhone 16 will not be sold in Indonesia as it does not meet the country’s rules on the use of locally made components. 

According to the regulations in Indonesia, certain smartphones sold domestically need to contain at least 40% of parts manufactured locally and the iPhone 16 has not met the requirement.

“Imported iPhone 16 hardwares cannot be marketed in the country, because Apple Indonesia has not fulfilled its investment commitment to earn a local content certification,” a spokesperson from the ministry said earlier this month, adding that the phones can still be brought from abroad for personal use.

Not long after the move, Indonesian government also said that the Google Pixel smartphones will be banned for failing to meet domestic content requirements for the same reason.

Google must obtain local content certification before resuming sales, the Industry Ministry spokesperson said, according to Tech Crunch. He added that the local content rule and related policies are made for fairness for all investors that invest in Indonesia.

Source: Marketing Interactive
--Agencies