Apple’s proposal to invest $100 million (roughly Rs. 842 crore) in Indonesia hasn’t met “fairness” principles, a top government official said, signaling Jakarta is seeking further negotiations before lifting a ban on domestic iPhone 16 sales.

The amount falls short of what the US tech firm has invested in other countries, Industry Minister Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita told reporters on Monday. 

For instance, Apple has funneled more than IDR 244 trillion ($15 billion or roughly Rs. 1,26,412 crore) toward manufacturing facilities in Vietnam, where its market sales total just roughly 1.5 million units, the official said. In comparison, Apple has only invested about 1.5 trillion rupiah in developer academies in Indonesia, where it sells some 2.5 million units.

The latest comments indicate more hurdles ahead for Apple as it seeks to lift a ban on selling its flagship iPhone 16 in Southeast Asia’s largest economy. Rival phone makers like Samsung Electronics and Xiaomi have invested IDR 8 trillion and IDR 55 trillion, respectively, to manufacture their devices onshore, the minister added.

“We want Apple to return to do business here but we need a fair resolution,” Kartasasmita said.

Indonesia’s government blocked sales of the iPhone 16 on the grounds that Apple hasn’t met a domestic content requirement for smartphones and tablets.

The Cupertino, California-based company’s IDR 1.5 trillion investment in the country falls short of the IDR 1.7 trillion it pledged in 2023 — a discrepancy of about $10 million “which is so small,” the minister said on Monday. In an attempt to lift the sales ban, Apple made an upsized $100-million investment offer, Bloomberg News reported this month.

“We want Apple to send negotiation teams to meet us,” Kartasasmita said.

Among the government’s requests are for the US tech giant to deliver the remaining $10 million (roughly Rs. 84 crore) from its investment pledge last year, and come up with a better offer for 2024-2026. The minister added that their top priority is still to get the company to open a plant in Indonesia.

The bans are the latest example of Indonesia playing hardball as new President Prabowo Subianto seeks to pressure international firms to boost local manufacturing, which would be a boon for domestic industries. The country has also banned sales of Alphabet Inc.’s Google Pixel phones over a similar lack of investment.

Last year, Indonesia announced regulations forcing ByteDance’s TikTok to split its shopping feature from the popular video-scrolling service, a bid to shield its retail sector from cheap Chinese-made goods. 

While Apple ranks outside the top six smartphone brands in Indonesia, the country is a potential growth market with a young, increasingly tech-savvy population. The $1 trillion (roughly Rs. 84,27,567 crore) economy has over 350 million active mobile phones, outnumbering the nation’s 270 million population, according to government data.

“We expect this Apple issue can be resolved soon as they also have big interest in doing business here,” Kartasasmita said.

© 2024 Bloomberg LP

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Microsoft’s president Brad Smith said the UK regulator’s decision to prevent its acquisition of Call of Duty maker Activision Blizzard “had shaken confidence” in Britain as a destination for tech businesses.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), which operates independently from government, blocked the deal on Wednesday, saying it could hit competition in the nascent cloud gaming market.

Microsoft hit back on Thursday, saying it was “probably the darkest day in our four decades in Britain” and sent the wrong message to the global tech industry about the UK.

“If the government of the United Kingdom wants to bring in investment, if it wants to create jobs (…) it needs to look hard at the role of the CMA, the regulatory structure in the United Kingdom, this transaction, and the message that the United Kingdom has just said to the world,” he told BBC radio.

A spokesman for British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said Smith’s comments were “not borne out by the facts.”

“We continue to believe that the UK has an extremely attractive tech sector and a growing games market,” he said. “We will continue to engage proactively with Microsoft and other companies.”

Smith said Microsoft had worked effectively with regulators in Brussels but not in London, which he said refuted Britain’s claim that it would be more flexible after Brexit.

The company had answered the CMA’s questions, he said, and it had told them to come back with any more concerns. “They went silent, we heard nothing from them,” he said.

“There’s a clear message here — the European Union is a more attractive place to start a business if you want some day to sell it than the United Kingdom,” he added.

But CMA Chief Executive Sarah Cardell said the regulator’s role was to make sure Britain was a competitive environment for businesses to be able to grow and thrive.

“The decision that the CMA takes is an independent decision that we reached looking at an overall assessment of the impact of the deal on competition, and we think that is the right decision for the UK,” she said.

She noted the US Federal Trade Commission was also pressing for the deal to be blocked on competition grounds.

Microsoft said yesterday it would appeal, with “aggressive” support from Activision.

Appeals against CMA rulings are heard by the Competition Appeals Tribunal, which makes a judgment on the merits of the decision. It will not be an opportunity for Microsoft to submit new remedies.

© Thomson Reuters 2023

Vivo X200 series will be unveiled in China on October 14. The lineup is expected to include three models — the Vivo X200, Vivo X200 Pro, and Vivo X200 Mini. Just days ahead of the official launch, renders of these smartphones have appeared on a Chinese retailer site. The Vivo X200 and Vivo X200 Pro appear to be available in identical colour options, whereas the Vivo X200 Pro Mini could be launched in different shades. The listing suggests that reservations for the phones will open in China next week.

Vivo X200 Series Design, Colourways Revealed

Tipster Panda is Bald spotted the listing of the Vivo X200 series on JD.com. The screenshots of the listing (now removed) featuring their official images indicate that all three models will be available for reservations in China starting from October 8 ahead of launch on October 14.

As per the post, the Vivo X200 and Vivo X200 Pro will be available in four shades — midnight black, moonlight white, sapphire blue, and titanium. The Vivo X200 Pro Mini, on the other hand, is shown in black, pink, green and white colour options.

Vivo X200 series phones are seen with flat sides and slightly rounded edges. They appear to have a large circular camera island on the back, with ZEISS branding similar to the Vivo X100 lineup. The LED flash is arranged on the upper right corner while the Vivo branding can be seen at the bottom.

The Vivo X200 series will become official on October 14 in China. Vivo’s officials have been teasing the new smartphones for quite a while now. Most recently, the company’s Product Manager showcased a “micro-curved” display for the standard Vivo X200 with “ultra-narrow” bezels. The phones are also expected to go official in markets outside China soon.

Apple, off late, has been a bit slow when it comes to new iPad launches. Its last iPad launch took place in October last year when it released its new iPad Pro variants powered by its then-new M2 processor and a new 10th Gen iPad with a new design and a new keyboard accessory. While we have been hearing rumours about some new and interesting iPad models, there is finally some news which sort of confirms that they are indeed being tested and should be launching soon.

9to5mac as per its sources claims that everything is on track and that Apple will be announcing some new iPad models soon. This would include a new iPad Mini (or Mini 7), which will replace the currently available iPad Mini 2021. As per the source, it will retain the design of the older model and only offer a spec upgrade. However, when Apple plans to release this one, it is strangely still a tough question to answer. The last Mini (review) was released in September 2021 and got an upgraded design with thinner bezels, the A15 Bionic chip, 5G connectivity and more.

Next in line is the new 11th Gen iPad which is expected to replace the 10th iPad (review) launched last year. What also isn’t clear is whether Apple will continue to retain the much more affordable 9th-Gen iPad after this launch. According to the source, Apple will again be expected to retain the same design as on the previous model and will only go for a spec bump on this one.

Coming to the models that are expected to get notable upgrades are the iPad Air and the new M3-powered iPad Pro. According to the source, Apple is reportedly experimenting with two versions of the iPad Air one of which could be a larger 12.9-inch model of the same. This is still under testing, so there’s a good chance that this second version may not be announced altogether, as the base model will still get an upgraded processor. Apple is also testing two variants (11-inch and 12.9-inch) of the new iPad Pro with an M3 processor inside.

9to5Mac’s report also corroborates Bloomberg’s previous report about a new Magic Keyboard for the iPad. It will evolve from a soft keyboard to a regular one made of aluminium and will snap onto the new iPad Pro models. The new keyboard will also come with a larger trackpad, new sensors (which also include an accelerometer) and will make the tablet appear like one of Apple’s MacBooks.

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