Due to an extended legal dispute over patents with the medical technology firm Masimo, Apple is set to halt the sale of its Apple Watch S9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 models in the United States.
Apple has officially informed 9to5Mac that commencing at 3 pm ET on December 21st, the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 will no longer be accessible for purchase through Apple’s official US website. Furthermore, Apple’s retail outlets will deplete the remaining inventory by December 24th, with no plans to restock.
This week, Apple will cease the distribution of its Apple Watch S9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 smartwatches in the United States due to allegations of patent infringement. In October of this year, the International Trade Commission (ITC) reached a final verdict on the patent conflict, determining that the Apple Watch had indeed violated Masimo’s patent.
After conducting a 60-day presidential review, the authorities ultimately resolved the case. They have scheduled the conclusion of the case’s presidential review phase for December 25. If the president does not veto the court’s decision before this date, Apple must adhere to the ITC resolution, resulting in the removal of the implicated Apple Watch models from store shelves.
Apple clarified that the sales prohibition exclusively impacts the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2. The utilization of the contentious blood oxygen monitoring sensor solely in these two devices causes this restriction. Consequently, the lower-tier Apple Watch SE remains unaffected and will continue to be available for purchase.
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