Minister of Industry Agus Denies Rumors that iPhone 16 Can be Bought on Pre-order

Thepresidentpost.id - Minister of Industry Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita strongly denied rumors that the iPhone 16 could be purchased for pre-order on Friday (20/12/2024). He said he had not received an investment proposal of USD 1 billion or around IDR 15 trillion (exchange rate: IDR 15,940) from Apple. Therefore, the Minister of Industry emphasized that the government still prohibits the iPhone 16 from being sold in Indonesia.

“How can you pre-order, the negotiator hasn't even been here yet. How can we convey to the public that they can pre-order?” said Minister of Industry Agus in Jakarta, last weekend. The Minister of Industry said that the government had invited Apple to hold a negotiation meeting since a month ago. However, he said he had not received an answer from Apple.

“Let alone an answer to the official proposal, the answer to attending the invitation meeting that we have sent has not yet been heard,” he said.

However, the Ministry of Industry is currently still waiting for Apple representatives to come to immediately conduct face-to-face negotiations with the Indonesian government.

“Because, if the meeting is in person, we can see their gestures, they can see our gestures, compared to meetings via Zoom or email,” said Agus.

He emphasized that there are three approaches for AKI producers who want to market their products in Indonesia, namely, hardware, software and innovation schemes. This is also what he offered to Apple.

“Each of these has a calculation, including if Apple decides to continue with the third scheme, the innovation scheme, including if Apple decides not to build a production facility factory in Indonesia. We can still use the third scheme,” said Agus.

Minister of Industry Agus also revealed that the government wants Apple to prioritize the construction of factories in Indonesia. In fact, according to him, this is an advantage for Apple itself.

“So in my view, why should Apple give or submit a new proposal to the government every three years, they have to negotiate with the government every three years, that's the value that must be negotiated too,” said the Minister of Industry.