The Apple Watch Collection 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 gadget firm Masimo.
Because it stands proper now, Apple remains to be promoting the Apple Watch Collection 9 and Extremely 2 in the USA, 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 intervening time, you may 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 skill 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 modification doesn’t impression anybody who already owns an Apple Watch with the blood oxygen options. It additionally solely applies in the USA.
“Apple Watch Collection 9 and Extremely 2 not embody the Blood Oxygen characteristic,” reads the banner utilized to the checkout stream 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 12 months. It’s unclear if any interim answer might be reached that enables 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 might be banned from sale in the USA once more, efficient 5:00 pm ET on January 18, 2024.
Apple responds and says it can 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, nevertheless, is to take away the heartbeat oximetry options from newly bought units.
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 the whole 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 per 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 by means of January 10. Apple has additionally submitted a software program replace that it believes will resolve the difficulty, however a call 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 the USA.
In a press release to 9to5Mac, Apple reiterated that it strongly disagrees with the ITC’s choice and is engaged on each potential answer to carry the units 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 deal with 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 the USA. We additionally realized extra particulars about how the ban impacts Apple’s skill to service and exchange broken units.
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 scenario and that Katerine Tai, the USA Commerce Consultant, was “fastidiously 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.
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