Apple Watch Sales Ban Now Official; US Govt. Refuses to Overturn ITC Ruling
Dec. 26, 2023Today, Apple has been officially banned from selling its latest Apple Watch models – Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 in the US after the Biden government refused to veto the ban. For the uninitiated, Apple has been caught up in a patent fiasco with the medical company Masimo for infringing upon patents of blood oxygen monitoring sensors.
Apple Watch Sales Ban: What has Happened So Far?
Earlier today, the Presidential Review wasannouncedand the Biden administration refused to overturn the ban. Thus, making the Apple Watch sales ban official.
Meanwhile, in a statement to 9to5Mac, Apple has expressed that it strongly disagrees with the Apple Watch sales ban and will make efforts to resume Apple Watch sales in the U.S.
“We strongly disagree with the USITC decision and resulting exclusion order, and are taking all measures to return Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 to customers in the U.S. as soon as possible.” – Apple
It seems that Apple will now explore possibilities to turn off the blood oxygen monitoring feature via a software update and this would allow the company to sell the banned Apple Watches in the country.
Alternatively, Masimo has already said that it is ready to negotiate with Apple. if the Cupertino giant were to accept this route, it would have to shell out several million dollars.
If you are planning to buy the latest Apple Watch Series 9 or Apple Watch Ultra 2 in the holiday season, you can still get one at third-party retailers like Best Buy, Amazon, and Walmart. Notably, Apple has only banned the sales of the aforementioned two models via its official channels, you can still purchase the Apple Watch SE from the official Apple website or store.
With 6 years of experience as a writer and editor in the tech media industry, Anmol is an enigmatic savant in all kinds of tech. He loves to scour internet for new information. When not conjuring words, Anmol can be found watching Manchester United matches or glued to his MacBook watching re-runs of his favorite TV shows for upteenth time.
