Finally, iPhone 6 gets Indonesia release date

Rappler.com

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Finally, iPhone 6 gets Indonesia release date
But could a new regulation ban iPhones starting 2017?

 

JAKARTA, Indonesia – After a long wait, the iPhone 6 will finally officially be released in Indonesia – months after the smartphone came out in neighboring countries. 

PT Trikomsel Oke Tbk, one of Apple’s distributors in the country, said on Friday, January 30, that both the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus models will be available starting February 6 at branches of OkeShop, Global Teleshop, and Global Apple Premium Reseller, according to Vivanews.com.

Of course, the smartphone has been unofficially available in the country for a while now. At online store Lazada, for example, the lowest iPhone 6 model with 16Gb of memory sells for at least IDR9.8 million ($770), which seems higher than the US price but comparable with neighboring Singapore.

The popular smartphones have been credited for Apple’s quarterly profit soaring to a record $18 billion. (READ: Apple profit hits new high on rocketing iPhone sales)

If you’re still deciding on whether to get one, check out Rappler’s review in the video below:

 

New regulation

Also on Friday, however, the Ministry of Trade and the Ministry of Communications and Information Techology said they had agreed on a new regulation that would require that 40% of a smartphone’s components be made in Indonesia. 

“If it’s less than 40%, the Ministry of Trade will not issue a permit,” Communications Minister Rudiantara said on Friday, according to Kompas.com.

This domestic content requirement will reportedly apply to all 4G smartphones entering Indonesia from January 1, 2017, which would give tech companies two years to prepare. Companies can choose to either set up a factory in Indonesia, or outsource to existing factories in the country.

This might not be a problem for many Android phone manufacturers. TechInAsia has compiled a list of 5 international smartphone manufacturers that already have or plan to set up factories in Indonesia, including Samsung and Chinese brands ZTE and Oppo.

It could be a problem for Apple, however, if Foxconn Technology Group’s plans to open a factory in the country don’t push through.  

Foxconn, the Taiwanese maker of Apple’s iPhones, announced in February 2014 that it planned to invest $1 billion to build a factory in Indonesia that would create up to a million jobs. 

But in September, Wall Street Journal reported that Indonesia said Foxconn’s key demands, including land for free or at discounted prices, are a deal-breaker to opening a factory. –Rappler.com

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