Apple will pause the sales of the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 in the USA on December 21st. The reason for Apple’s sales halt of its latest Apple Watch models is due to a lost patent dispute with the company Masimo regarding Apple Watch sensors used to measure oxygen in the user’s blood.
The Apple Watch SE will continue to be sold in the USA as it does not contain the sensors that Apple is deemed to have developed using technology patented by Masimo. Both the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 will still be available for purchase in markets outside the USA.
The news agency Bloomberg reports that Apple is working feverishly to find a software solution to circumvent the patents held by Masimo. Whether this is possible remains to be seen. Masimo themselves believe that it involves more than just software, stating that the hardware in the affected Apple Watch models needs to be redesigned.
In conjunction with the upcoming halt in sales of the two Apple Watch models, Apple also released a statement, which you can read in full below.
A Presidential Review Period is in progress regarding an order from the U.S. International Trade Commission on a technical intellectual property dispute pertaining to Apple Watch devices containing the Blood Oxygen feature. While the review period will not end until December 25, Apple is preemptively taking steps to comply should the ruling stand. This includes pausing sales of the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 from Apple.com starting December 21, and from Apple retail locations after December 24.
Apple’s teams work tirelessly to create products and services that empower users with industry-leading health, wellness, and safety features. Apple strongly disagrees with the order and is pursuing a range of legal and technical options to ensure that Apple Watch is available to customers.
Should the order stand, Apple will continue to take all measures to return Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 to customers in the U.S. as soon as possible.
