The Apple Watch Collection 9 and Apple Watch Extremely 2 are embroiled in an ongoing ITC state of affairs, which briefly barred the gadgets from being bought in america final month. This comes after the ITC dominated that the Apple Watch’s blood oxygen sensor infringes on two patents held by medical gadget firm Masimo.
Because it stands proper now, Apple continues to be promoting the Apple Watch Collection 9 and Extremely 2 in america, however with the blood oxygen options disabled as a result of ITC ruling.
Can I nonetheless purchase an Apple Watch with blood oxygen options from different retailers?
Sure, in the interim, you possibly can nonetheless purchase an Apple Watch Collection 9 and Apple Watch Extremely 2 from third-party retailers like Finest Purchase and Amazon, and they’ll nonetheless have the blood oxygen app and options.
The ITC’s choice solely impacts Apple’s capability to promote the Collection 9 and Extremely 2 by way of its on-line retailer and retail shops.
January 18, 2024:
Apple formally begins promoting the Apple Watch Collection 9 and Extremely 2 with out the blood oxygen options. This transformation doesn’t impression anybody who already owns an Apple Watch with the blood oxygen options. It additionally solely applies in america.
“Apple Watch Collection 9 and Extremely 2 now not embrace the Blood Oxygen characteristic,” reads the banner utilized to the checkout circulation for each mannequin watches on Apple’s web site.
Apple continues its attraction of the preliminary ITC ruling. The corporate says this course of may take over a yr. It’s unclear if any interim answer will probably be reached that permits Apple to start promoting the Apple Watch Collection 9 and Extremely 2 with the blood oxygen options.
January 17, 2024:
The US appeals courtroom denies Apple’s request to pause the ban throughout its attraction of the ITC’s ruling. The US appeals courtroom says Apple Watch Collection 9 and Apple Watch Extremely 2 with blood oxygen options will probably be banned from sale in america once more, efficient 5:00 pm ET on January 18, 2024.
Apple responds and says it is going to proceed promoting the gadgets with the blood oxygen options disabled.
January 15, 2024:
U.S. Customs and Border Safety guidelines that Apple’s redesign falls outdoors the scope of the ITC ruling. Apple’s redesign, nonetheless, is to take away the heartbeat oximetry options from newly bought gadgets.
Which means U.S. Customs has discovered the Apple Watch Collection 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 Collection 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 entire length 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 length of its attraction of the preliminary ITC choice.
December 28, 2023:
The Apple Watch Collection 9 and Apple Watch Extremely 2 return to Apple’s On-line Retailer after every week of unavailability.
December 27, 2023:
Apple’s attraction for a pause of the Apple Watch ban was granted due to the US appeals courtroom. The pause runs via January 10. Apple has additionally submitted a software program replace that it believes will resolve the difficulty, 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 Collection 9 in america.
In an announcement to 9to5Mac, Apple reiterated that it strongly disagrees with the ITC’s choice and is engaged on each attainable answer to deliver the gadgets again to the market. The corporate additionally formally filed an attraction.
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 give attention to the Apple Watch SE because the ITC case continues to play out.
December 22, 2023:
December 21, 2023
The Apple Watch Collection 9 and Apple Watch Extremely 2 are faraway from Apple’s web site in america. We additionally discovered extra particulars about how the ban impacts Apple’s capability to service and exchange broken gadgets.
December 20, 2023:
The ITC denied one among 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 state of affairs and that Katerine Tai, america Commerce Consultant, was “rigorously contemplating all the 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 may circumvent the 2 Masimo patents on the coronary heart of this case.
Observe Likelihood: Threads, Twitter, Instagram, and Mastodon.
FTC: We use earnings incomes auto affiliate hyperlinks. Extra.
