Apple faced a ban on the sales of its iPhone 16 series in Indonesia back in October 2024. The company had apparently failed to keep its promise for planned investment in the region, prompting the end of iPhone 16 sales in the area. But now, Apple is willing to invest even more in Indonesia to reverse this decision. So let’s check it out.
The Reason Behind the Ban
The Cupertino based giant faced the sales restriction after failing to meet the $109 million investment that it had promised to provide in local infrastructure. Reports had indicated that Apple fell short of this amount by around $14 million. This paired with no new agreements and previous issues with the government’s mandate to source 40% local components led to the iPhone 16 sales ban.
What’s Next for Apple?
As of right now, Apple has already began work on an innovation development scheme by creating Apple Academies in the country. Further more, a new report claims (Via PhoneArena) that Apple has increased its offer to invest $100 million in Indonesia over the next two years. This is a sizeable investment, which is around 10 times higher than its previous proposal of $10 million for a factory in Bandung that would make accessories and components.
Government Response Pending
The Indonesian government has yet to respond to Apple’s new proposal officially. However, considering how the Ministry of Industry is looking for Apple to expand research and development for iPhones selling in the country, this new investment promise might end the ban of iPhone 16 sales. To recall, Indonesia had also blocked the sale of Google’s Pixel 9 series of smartphones as well for a similar reason. The company had failed to meet similar investments, but it remains to be seen if Google meets these requirements.
