The Apple Watch Sequence 9 and Apple Watch Extremely 2 are embroiled in an ongoing ITC scenario, which briefly barred the units from being bought in the USA final month. This comes after the ITC dominated that the Apple Watch’s blood oxygen sensor infringes on two patents held by medical machine firm Masimo.
Because it stands proper now, Apple continues to be promoting the Apple Watch Sequence 9 and Extremely 2 in the USA, however with the blood oxygen options disabled because of the ITC ruling.
Can I nonetheless purchase an Apple Watch with blood oxygen options from different retailers?
Sure, in the meanwhile, you may nonetheless purchase an Apple Watch Sequence 9 and Apple Watch Extremely 2 from third-party retailers like Greatest Purchase and Amazon, and they’ll nonetheless have the blood oxygen app and options.
The ITC’s choice solely impacts Apple’s potential to promote the Sequence 9 and Extremely 2 by way of its on-line retailer and retail shops.
January 18, 2024:
Apple formally begins promoting the Apple Watch Sequence 9 and Extremely 2 with out the blood oxygen options. This variation doesn’t impression anybody who already owns an Apple Watch with the blood oxygen options. It additionally solely applies in the USA.
“Apple Watch Sequence 9 and Extremely 2 now not embody the Blood Oxygen function,” reads the banner utilized to the checkout circulate for each mannequin watches on Apple’s web site.
Apple continues its enchantment of the preliminary ITC ruling. The corporate says this course of may take over a yr. It’s unclear if any interim answer can be reached that permits Apple to start promoting the Apple Watch Sequence 9 and Extremely 2 with the blood oxygen options.
January 17, 2024:
The US appeals courtroom denies Apple’s request to pause the ban at some point of its enchantment of the ITC’s ruling. The US appeals courtroom says Apple Watch Sequence 9 and Apple Watch Extremely 2 with blood oxygen options can be banned from sale in the USA once more, efficient 5:00 pm ET on January 18, 2024.
Apple responds and says it’ll proceed promoting the units with the blood oxygen options disabled.
January 15, 2024:
U.S. Customs and Border Safety guidelines that Apple’s redesign falls exterior the scope of the ITC ruling. Apple’s redesign, nonetheless, is to take away the heart beat oximetry options from newly bought units.
Which means U.S. Customs has discovered the Apple Watch Sequence 9 and Extremely 2 don’t infringe on Masimo patents as long as they don’t “comprise pulse oximetry options.”
For now, Apple will proceed to promote the Apple Watch Sequence 9 and Apple Watch Extremely 2 with pulse oximetry options. In the meantime, we nonetheless await the choice from the US appeals courtroom on Apple’s request to pause the Apple Watch ban all through your complete period of the appeals course of.
January 10, 2024:
The ITC voices its opposition to Apple’s request to pause the Apple Watch gross sales ban all through the period of its enchantment of the preliminary ITC choice.
December 28, 2023:
The Apple Watch Sequence 9 and Apple Watch Extremely 2 return to Apple’s On-line Retailer after every week of unavailability.
December 27, 2023:
Apple’s enchantment for a pause of the Apple Watch ban was granted because of the US appeals courtroom. The pause runs via January 10. Apple has additionally submitted a software program replace that it believes will resolve the problem, however a choice on whether or not that software program repair adequately addresses the 2 patents received’t be made till January 12.
December 26, 2023:
The Biden Administration formally introduced its choice to uphold the ITC’s ruling, formally banning Apple from promoting the Apple Watch Extremely 2 and Apple Watch Sequence 9 in the USA.
In an announcement to 9to5Mac, Apple reiterated that it strongly disagrees with the ITC’s choice and is engaged on each doable answer to carry the units again to the market. The corporate additionally formally filed an enchantment.
December 24, 2023:
On the finish of the enterprise day, Apple halted retail gross sales of the 2 flagship Apple Watch fashions in query. The corporate as an alternative will concentrate on the Apple Watch SE because the ITC case continues to play out.
December 22, 2023:
December 21, 2023
The Apple Watch Sequence 9 and Apple Watch Extremely 2 are faraway from Apple’s web site in the USA. We additionally realized extra particulars about how the ban impacts Apple’s potential to service and change broken units.
December 20, 2023:
The ITC denied one in all Apple’s last-ditch makes an attempt to have the Apple Watch ban delayed.
December 19, 2023:
The White Home confirmed that it was monitoring the scenario and that Katerine Tai, the USA Commerce Consultant, was “rigorously contemplating the entire components on this case.”
Masimo CEO Joe Kiani reiterated that the corporate is open to a settlement with Apple, however that Apple must come to the desk for negotiations to even start.
December 18, 2023:
9to5Mac broke the information about Apple’s plans to preemptively halt Apple Watch gross sales by way of its on-line and retail shops. Bloomberg reported that Apple engineers are scrambling to develop a software program workaround that might circumvent the 2 Masimo patents on the coronary heart of this case.
Comply with Probability: Threads, Twitter, Instagram, and Mastodon.
