Country that blocked Apple from selling iPhone 16 will have the line for sale next month
Remember when Apple was not allowed to sell the new iPhone 16 series in Indonesia? The country banned Apple from selling its handsets because the U.S. company was unable to renew a content requirement certification. To get that certification and start sales of the iPhone 16 series in the world's fourth-largest populated country, Apple promised in late February to increase its investment in the country.
Now, we have a date when Apple will start sales of the iPhone 16 line in Indonesia. That date will be April 11th. To be allowed to sell its most important product in such a heavily populated country, Apple agreed to invest $300 million in Indonesia adding up to as much as $1 billion over 10 years.
Apple originally promised to invest 1.71 trillion rupiah ($109.6 million) to build Apple Academies in the country. These are schools for aspiring app developers. Apple has invested 1.48 trillion rupiah ($94.53 million) in Indonesia which is slightly short of the amount the tech giant said it would invest. By promising to make more investments in the country of 280 million people, Apple got Indonesia to drop its ban and the latest iPhone 16 models will be available in the country in just 15 days.
The iPhone 16 series was released by Apple on September 20th which means that Apple will have already missed out on booking nearly seven months of iPhone 16 series sales in Indonesia by the time consumers in the country start purchasing the handsets next month.
Apple's iPhone was not among the top five smartphone brands shipped in Indonesia last year. | Image credit-IDC
Like all multinational companies, Apple must follow the laws of each country in which it operates. It was Indonesia's Industry minister Agus Gumiwang Kartasamita who said last year after the unveiling and release of the iPhone 16 line that the new models would be banned in the country until Apple agreed to hike its investment in Indonesia which would allow it to receive a new certificate.
Considering that the country has 280 million people making it the fourth most populous country in the world, this is certainly not a market that Apple wants to be locked out of. Last year Indonesia's smartphone shipments rose 15.5% from 2023's deliveries. The market was led by China's Transsion Holdings whose market share in the country rose from 13.1% in 2023 to last year's 18.3%. Its shipments were up a whopping 61.7% year-over-year. Oppo and Samsung were numbers two and three with market shares of 17.8% and 17.2% respectively. The iPhone was not in the top five.
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