The Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 are embroiled in an ongoing ITC scenario, which briefly barred the gadgets from being offered within the United States 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.

As it stands proper now, Apple remains to be promoting the Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 within the United States, however with the blood oxygen options disabled due to the ITC ruling.

Can I nonetheless purchase an Apple Watch with blood oxygen options from different retailers?

Yes, in the intervening time, you can nonetheless purchase an Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 from third-party retailers like Best Buy and Amazon, and they’ll nonetheless have the blood oxygen app and options.

The ITC’s resolution solely impacts Apple’s means to promote the Series 9 and Ultra 2 through its on-line retailer and retail shops.

January 18, 2024:

Apple formally begins promoting the Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 with out the blood oxygen options. This change doesn’t affect anybody who already owns an Apple Watch with the blood oxygen options. It additionally solely applies within the United States. 

“Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 no longer include the Blood Oxygen feature,” 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 firm says this course of might take over a yr. It’s unclear if any interim resolution will probably be reached that enables Apple to start promoting the Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 with the blood oxygen options.

January 17, 2024:

The US appeals courtroom denies Apple’s request to pause the ban at some stage in its enchantment of the ITC’s ruling. The US appeals courtroom says Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 with blood oxygen options will probably be banned from sale within the United States once more, efficient 5:00 pm ET on January 18, 2024.

Apple responds and says it can proceed promoting the gadgets with the blood oxygen options disabled.

January 15, 2024:

U.S. Customs and Border Protection 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 offered gadgets.

This implies that U.S. Customs has discovered the Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 don’t infringe on Masimo patents as long as they don’t “contain pulse oximetry features.”

For now, Apple will proceed to promote the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 with pulse oximetry options. Meanwhile, 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 resolution.

December 28, 2023:

The Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 return to Apple’s Online Store after every week of unavailability.

December 27, 2023:

Apple’s enchantment for a pause of the Apple Watch ban was granted thanks 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 resolution to uphold the ITC’s ruling, formally banning Apple from promoting the Apple Watch Ultra 2 and Apple Watch Series 9 within the United States.

In an announcement to 9to5Mac, Apple reiterated that it strongly disagrees with the ITC’s resolution and is engaged on each potential resolution to convey the gadgets again to the market. The firm additionally formally filed an enchantment.

December 24, 2023:

At the top of the enterprise day, Apple halted retail gross sales of the 2 flagship Apple Watch fashions in query. The firm 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 Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 are faraway from Apple’s web site within the United States. We additionally realized extra particulars about how the ban impacts Apple’s means to service and change broken gadgets.

December 20, 2023:

The ITC denied considered one of Apple’s last-ditch makes an attempt to have the Apple Watch ban delayed.

December 19, 2023:

The White House confirmed that it was monitoring the scenario and that Katerine Tai, the United States Trade Representative, was “carefully considering all of the factors in this case.”

Masimo CEO Joe Kiani reiterated that the corporate is open to a settlement with Apple, however that Apple would have to come to the desk for negotiations to even start.

December 18, 2023:

9to5Mac broke the news about Apple’s plans to preemptively halt Apple Watch gross sales through 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.

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