Tim Cook reasons why presence Apple Store eagerly awaited in Indonesia
- There is no Apple Store in Indonesia as of today.
This fact follows the visit of Apple CEO Tim Cook to Indonesia on Wednesday (17/4/2024).
Tim Cook and his entourage were greeted enthusiastically by Apple lovers.
The Indonesian public hopes that Tim Cook's visit will bring new colors, namely that official Apple outlets will soon be available in Indonesia.
Because, so far Apple users have had to go to Singapore to get fast service for this technology.
The reason why the Apple Store is highly anticipated in Indonesia
Singapore is now a retail center and a paradise for shopaholics from all over the world.
The Apple Store building in Orchard Singapore is also a target for visitors.
On the first floor of the Apple Store Building, various products such as iPhone (smartphone), iPad (electronic tablet), MacBook (laptop), and Apple Watch (smartwatch), are displayed on long tables.
Don't forget the various accessories, from cables, watch straps, to earbuds (headphones).
Visitors try the products displayed on the table.
Someone is shifting the display on the screen. There are also those who take selfies.
If you need an explanation about a product, a number of Apple Store staff are available.
Products of interest can be paid for immediately and taken home.
Not only old releases, you can try out the newest Apple products that are not yet sold in Indonesia.
For example, the MacBook Pro M3.
Laptops with third generation chips made by Apple will only be sold by Apple's official re-sellers in Indonesia in mid-February 2024.
After being satisfied with looking at Apple products on the first floor, a number of visitors went up to the second floor.
At the top of the stairs, staff members holding iPads were waiting and greeted each visitor who arrived.
If they have previously made an appointment, they will use an iPad to scan the barcode that the visitor has received via electronic message.
When service time has arrived, they will immediately direct you to the customer service officer.
Even without an appointment, visitors can still enter the area.
Arranging a schedule for the service called Genius Bar is not difficult.
Just contact Apple Support via the official Apple page and explain the problem with the device you are using.
After that, they will schedule the day and time of the visit and then send a barcode that will then be taken to the Apple Store.
This scheduling is not only for devices that still have a warranty, but also those that have expired.
“Can I scan the barcode for the appointment?” said Jonathan, an Apple Store Orchard technician, that afternoon.
After reading the information on his iPad screen, Jonathan immediately checked the damaged cable.
Both with his own devices and visitors.
"Yes, it's broken. Wait a moment," said Jonathan as he left.
In less than five minutes, Jonathan was back and brought a new cable. He then tried it on a visitor's MacBook and one belonging to the Apple Store.
”Ok, this one works,” he said simply.
He then typed a digital form on the iPad then handed it over and asked for a digital signature there.
When finished, he smiled and said everything was done.
No need to pay for a new cable that costs 22.9 Singaporean dollars or around IDR 270,000.
The product is still under warranty so everything is free.
Before serving other visitors who were waiting, Jonathan invited them to take part in the "Today at Apple" activity.
That day, there was a photography class.
The class is free for visitors who want to learn and maximize the camera features of their iPhone devices.
Trade-in and after-sales service
In order to get fast after-sales service, quite a few Apple users in Indonesia fly to Singapore.
Of course, take a walk. Apart from Singapore, the official Apple store in Southeast Asia is currently in Thailand.
By January 2024, Apple will have more than 500 official stores worldwide.
In fact, without having to go to Singapore, the guarantee can still be claimed in Indonesia.
Apple partners in Indonesia provide that.
iPhone, as one of Apple's flagship products, has become one of the favorite choices for smartphone users around the world. (Tribun-Papua.com/Istimewa)
However, in various forums, Indonesian Apple users often complain about the claim process taking time.
According to them, warranty claims at Apple partners are not as fast as at the Apple Store.
So, it is natural that the arrival of Tim Cook was greeted enthusiastically by "Apple fan boys", the term for fans of Apple products.
They then linked it to the possibility of the presence of an Apple Store in Indonesia.
This can be seen from Tim Cook's upload on platform X which was flooded with comments from Indonesian users.
Tim uploaded a photo of himself taking a photo with an Apple user in Indonesia.
"Hello Indonesia, how are you? (Enjoying) chicken satay with iPhone photographer Sofyan Pratama is the perfect way to start a visit to Jakarta. Can't wait to meet more of Apple's creative and developer community here,” Tim wrote.
Apple CEO Tim Cook is in Indonesia and is scheduled to meet President Joko Widodo, Wednesday (17/4/2024), at the Merdeka Palace, Jakarta.
Tim Cook's post as of Wednesday afternoon had been viewed by 2.2 million users, had more than 1,000 comments and been shared 3,600 times.
Indonesian netizens also don't want to be left behind. Of course, most of them asked the Team to present an Apple Store in Jakarta.
"Come on, let's do Apple Store Jakarta," wrote the account @kaptenamerikka.
Previously, rumors of the presence of an Apple Store were circulating strongly.
Moreover, Indonesian netizens linked it to Apple's latest iPhone advertisement, namely the iPhone 15 series, which is increasingly massive, both on social media, various online video platforms, and television.
Apart from that, since December 2023, the company from Cupertino, United States, is also opening job vacancies for Indonesia through the official website.
This further strengthens the suspicion that there will be an Apple Store.
Contacted separately, one of the Apple fans in Indonesia and the founder of the @appleisme platform, Bagus Hernawan, said that there are various benefits that Apple users can get if the Apple Store is present in Indonesia.
"First, users can buy the newest products on global launch day. "So, today it is sold in America, Europe or Japan and others, it will also be sold in Indonesia if there is an Apple Store," said Bagus.
Arif Budi Utomo (35), checks his cellphone at the Warming Cell shop in Mataram, Monday (25/3/2024).
Like the MacBook Pro M3, users will certainly be able to get this Apple device soon.
Including the most popular device, namely the iPhone, which will enter its 16th series in September.
In Indonesia, the latest iPhone will usually be available two to three months after its launch in September, namely around November-December.
Apple Logo (Gizmochina)
This makes many Indonesian Apple fans have to fly to Singapore if they can't wait.
”Another benefit is faster repair services and warranty claims. "You can also enjoy Apple product customization services on its online site, special student prices, Today At Apple, return policy and trade-ins," said Bagus.
Apart from users, Bagus said, Apple will certainly further strengthen the market because it will open up the potential for new customers.
Adding new customers is certainly very important. Moreover, in the midst of declining shipments of the iPhone brand smartphone from Apple.
In the first quarter of 2024, iPhone shipments fell 9.6 percent compared to the same period in 2023.
This is thought to be influenced by increasing competition with other cellphone brands, especially from China.
According to a research report by consumer market intelligence firm, IDC, which was officially released on Monday (15/4/2024), Apple shipped 50.1 million units of the iPhone brand cell phone in the first quarter of 2024.
Quoting Bloomberg, shipments in this volume were far below the average of analyst data collected by Bloomberg, namely 51.7 million cellphone units (Kompas.id, 17 April 2024).
Apple CEO Tim Cook (center) accompanied by Minister of Communication and Information Budi Arie Setiadi (right) and Minister of Industry Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita (left) giving a press statement after meeting with President Joko Widodo at the Merdeka Palace, Jakarta, Wednesday (17/4/2024).
However, Bagus cannot confirm whether the Apple Store will actually be present in Indonesia.
Moreover, there is a policy regarding brand owners who cannot sell directly, but must collaborate with official partners in Indonesia
The enthusiasm of visitors ahead of the opening of the Apple Store in Shanghai, China, in March 2024. (Doc. AFP) (Tribun-Papua.com/Istimewa)
However, according to Bagus, Apple can still do a number of things if it is still unable to present an official outlet.
For example, adding or completing services that have not been available for Indonesian users.
"For example, Apple's payment system (Apple Pay), Apple's maps which support traffic info, ultra wideband for AirTag (Apple's tracking device), Apple's Book Store, and AppleCaret+ (Apple's extended warranty service)," said Bagus.
As reported, Tim Cook met President Joko Widodo on Wednesday afternoon at the Merdeka Palace.
Minister of Communication and Informatics Budi Arie Setiadi said before a meeting at the Merdeka Palace on Wednesday morning that this step was the state's effort to attract investment and the attention of big information technology players, including the industry.
Minister of Industry Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita, who will also attend the meeting, said that in 2023 the production of cellular telephones (cell phones) in Indonesia will reach 50 million units, with an import figure of 2.79 million units.
Of that import figure, 80 percent are Apple cellphones.
Therefore, Indonesia has an interest in creating added value.
The Ministry of Communication and Information has had regulations since 2021 that 35 percent of cellphone, computer and tablet products in Indonesia must have a domestic component level of 35 percent.
And, Apple has a unique way of calculating the level of domestic components, namely based on investments in building developer education infrastructure through the Apple Developer Academy.
Apple has the obligation to build four academies, namely in Bali, Batam, Surabaya and South Tangerang.
The total investment value reached IDR 1.6 trillion.
Agus said, together with the Ministry of Communication and Information, they would ask Apple to build something similar in Makassar and the capital of the archipelago.
Including encouraging Apple to build a factory in Indonesia (Kompas, 17 April 2024).
So far, apart from this discussion, there has been no mention of the opening of an Apple Store in Indonesia.
However, in terms of Apple's journey and various investments in Indonesia, this is certainly not impossible.
All that remains is for Apple fans to be patient for some time. (*)
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