That some countries in the world ban the sale of an electronic device is not strange, but lately there seems to be a certain fixation with cell phones. An example of this happens in Germany, where smartphones from Vivo, Motorola, Realme and others have stopped being sold, for practically the same reason.
But what we didn’t expect is that the next item to hit the headlines would be one of Apple’s cell phones, even if not in Germany. Indonesia has banned the iPhone 16 on its territory as revenge against Apple. Yes, as you read it: revenge. What did those in Cupertino do to the Indonesians? We will tell you about it and, moreover, we tell you that it is not the only banned Apple gadget.
Apple violated an investment agreement and because of this Indonesia banned them from selling iPhone 16 and Apple Watch 10
Through a note published on State agency Antarathis was revealed by the Indonesian government They will ban the sale of the iPhone 16 and Apple Watch 10 series in the country. This was reported by the Indonesian Ministry of Industry They will block the issuance of new IMEIs for these devicestherefore they cannot be marketed in the country.
The reason for this decision is that Apple would have violated an agreement reached with the country. The American company is committed to finance more than 1,710 billion rupees (around 100 million euros) at local research and development (R&D) facilities.. However, so far Apple has only invested 1.48 trillion rupees (around 87 million euros).
Surely you will think “they practically conformed, Why not give them more time for the rest?”. The answer is simple: because Agreements have deadlines and must be respectedsomething Apple wouldn’t do. And if you are wondering the reason for this agreement, we tell you that, in reality, it is more of an obligation.
In order to operate in the country and obtain ‘Domestic Component Level’ (TKDN) certification, Indonesian laws require that Foreign companies dedicate 40% of their investments in the country to local development. That money can be used for local manufacturing of your products, local software development, or research and development facilities. Apple chose the last option, missed the deadlines and now will not be able to sell its latest mobile devices in the Asian country.
The level of prohibition is such the Minister of Industry, Gumiwang Kartasasmitahe assured him “If there is an iPhone 16 that can work in Indonesia, it means it is an illegal device. Please let us know.” In other words, citizens could also be penalized for owning an iPhone 16 in that country.
And the tourists? In this case there are exceptions, which also apply to cabin crew and foreign diplomatic personnel. Then, You can use up to two iPhone 16 series phones in Indonesia, but nothing about local marketing.
