After several meetings between Apple representatives and the Indonesian government, the iPhone 16 will now finally be officially sold in the country. According to a Bloomberg report, Indonesia has agreed to accept Apple's $1 billion investment offer in the form of an AirTag assembly plant and training for citizens. An official agreement between Indonesia and Apple will be signed in the near future.
Although the iPhone 16 series was launched in September last year, Indonesia refused to allow official sales because Apple did not meet the requirement of 40% of the devices containing locally made products. In addition to building the AirTag assembly plant, Apple will open a research and development center in Indonesia to allow the country's citizens to develop their software and products. This training will be provided outside of Apple's previously established development center.
Apple is investing heavily in Indonesia because it is the fourth largest smartphone market in the world. With iPhone sales declining, officially offering their products in this country with a population of over 281 million is important for Apple.