Apple announced the new Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 in September with notable upgrades over its predecessor. Now, the company is pausing its sale of both Apple Watch models in the United States due to an ongoing patent dispute with a medical tech company. If you are planning to get the latest smartwatches from Apple, the company is no longer selling the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 in its online store.
Apple to stop selling Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 in the U.S from December 21
Apple shared a statement with 9to5mac today, stating that it will no longer be selling the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 on Apple's online store starting December 21. If you want to get your hands on the latest wearables from Apple, be sure to place an order before the date mentioned above. After 12 PM PT, December 21, Apple will halt its sale, and there is no word when the company will resume. However, Apple's decision only applies in the United States, and you can still purchase the wearables outside the region.
ITC ordered a ban on some Apple Watch imports in the United States in October after discovering that Apple had violated a patent filed by Masimo. Masimo filed a patent related to non-invasive blood oxygen sensing or pulse oximetry. While it remains to be seen when Apple will resume the sale of the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2, the company will comply with the rules and regulations until a decision has been made. Nonetheless, the company is working to solve the dispute through legal and technical solutions. The company's complete statement reads:
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. The decision does not impact sales of the devices in other countries at this time.
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.
Masimo has accused Apple of stealing its employees and trade secrets regarding the blood oxygen sensing feature for years. At this point, it remains to be seen where the decision will go from here, as the ITC judge previously ruled against Apple that it had infringed Masimo's patent for a light-based technology to detect blood oxygen levels. We will keep you posted with more, so stick around.
