Indonesia’s Apple and Google bans frustrate country’s tech fans

Jakarta has banned sales of the iPhone16 and Google Pixel under regulations that require phones to use local components. “It would be better if the iPhone 16 could be sold in Indonesia because there are quite a lot of enthusiasts here.” Khairul Mahalli, the head of the Chamber of Commerce in North Sumatra, said that while Indonesia’s TKDN policy is aimed at supporting local industry, it could have unintended consequences. “One of the issues for the future could be that, if Indonesia blocks the sales of certain products, other countries could do the same and no longer accept the sales of Indonesian products on the international market.” Mahalli said it was the job of the government to find ways to minimise harm to local industries that are less drastic than outright bans on foreign products. “We don’t need to completely ban foreign sales, as Indonesia’s market is large enough to accommodate foreign products due to its large population of over 270 million people,” he said. “We need to look at whether local production can keep up with consumer demand.” Rio Priambodo, the head of the legal and complaints department at the non-profit Indonesia Consumers Organization, said consumers should think twice about purchasing the latest iPhone model, especially through illegal resellers in the country.