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

The proposal would see Apple invest nearly $100 million in the country, people familiar with the matter told media outlets. Additionally, the $100 million investment would also include a research and development center program as well as a professional developer academy, according to media reports.

Febri Hendri Antoni Arif, a spokesperson for Indonesia’s Industry Ministry, was quoted as saying that Minister Agus Gumiwant Kartasasmita held an internal meeting to discuss the meeting. Of which, he revealed that Apple also plans to produce accessory product components such as the AirPods Max mesh, starting from July 2025 in Bandung.

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

Earlier in November this year, the Indonesian government said that Apple’s latest iPhone 16 would not be sold in Indonesia because it did not meet the country’s rules regarding the use of locally manufactured components.

According to Indonesian regulations, some smartphones sold in the country must contain at least 40% locally manufactured parts and the iPhone 16 does not meet this requirement.

“Imported iPhone 16 hardware cannot be marketed in the country as Apple Indonesia has not fulfilled its investment commitment to obtain local content certification,” a ministry spokesperson said earlier this month. ci, adding that phones can still be imported from abroad for an additional fee. personal use.

Shortly after this decision, the Indonesian government also said that Google Pixel smartphones would be banned for not meeting national 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 designed with fairness in mind for all investors investing in Indonesia.

Source: Interactive Marketing

–Agencies