On November 19 Bloomberg reported that Apple is willing to spend US$100 million to undo the iPhone 16 ban in Indonesia. That’s an increase from a previous offer of $10 million, but apparently isn’t enough.
The country’s Industry Minister expects the tech giant to invest even more, according to Antara News. For example, the Indonesian government has invited Apple to establish a research and development center for Industry 4.0, which is focused on artificial intelligence development.
“From the government’s perspective, of course, we want this investment to be larger,” ministry spokesperson Febri Hendri Antoni Arif said on Thursday. A larger investment would facilitate the development of Indonesia’s domestic manufacturing sector, helping the country become a part of Apple’s global supply chain, he added.
In addition, Arif noted that the industry’s presence would positively impact job creation, notes Antara News. He added that that Indonesia’s domestic industry is capable of meeting Apple’s needs for supporting devices, such as chargers and accessories.
On October 8, it was reported that Indonesia was blocking the sale of the iPhone 16 line-up because Apple hadn’t compiled with local content regulations aimed at boosting the domestic industry.
The tech giant has yet to fulfill its investment commitments in Indonesia and must renew its domestic component level (TKDN) license, Minister of Industry Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita said.
“Apple’s iPhone 16 cannot be sold in Indonesia yet because the extension of the TKDN certification is still pending, awaiting further investment realization from Apple,” Agus told reporters in Jakarta on October 8. The iPhone maker has only invested 1.48 trillion rupiah (about US$95 million) in Indonesia, he said, “falling short of its total commitment” of 1.71 trillion rupiah.”
