Indonesia Bans Apple iPhone 16 Over Chump Change
When a country with 350 million active mobile phones bans your new handsets from being sold, that can’t be a good thing.
But for Apple, it’s a real thing.
Just as Apple CEO Tim Cook was waxing lyrical about Apple Intelligence, which was rolled out on Tuesday after endless hype and leaks, along comes Indonesia to rain on his parade.
Indonesia is said to have more mobile phones than people (the population is a mere 283 million), and this week it banned Apple from flogging its latest iPhones.
Indonesia’s industry minister Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita has declared the use of the iPhone 16 as illegal, per India Today.
The reason behind the ban is said to be Apple’s “unfulfilled investment commitment” to the Indonesian government.
The company said it would invest 1.71 trillion rupiah (A$165 million), but reports say it has only tipped in 1.48 trillion rupiah (A$143 million). This is play money for Apple, and it is yet to comment, so it’s unclear why it hasn’t met the commitment.
About six months ago Apple CEO Tim Cook – pictured at top in Indonesia April 2024 with iPhone photographer Sofyan Pratama – met with leaders in Indonesia and Vietnam and promised he looking at the feasibility of opening factories in their countries.
At the time, Apple had moved to meet its Indonesian commitments by opening three developer academies, in Jakarta, Surabaya and Batam. On his trip to Indonesia in April Cook announced the fourth academy was to be in Bali.
According to reports, Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita has warned Indonesians travelling abroad not to purchase the iPhone 16.
In the first quarter of 2024 around 10 million smartphones were shipped in Indonesia.
The top five mobile phone companies in Indonesia are Oppo, Samsung and Xiaomi, Vivo and Apple.