Christmas is here and Apple is on the naughty list. According to a statement given to 9to5Mac by Apple, the sale of the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 will be on hold starting this week due to an ongoing patent dispute between Apple and Masimo (a medical technology company). The patent dispute is around Apple Watch’s blood oxygen sensor technology. This doesn’t affect the Apple Watch you own or those with third-party retailers like Amazon. Albeit, the ITC (International Trade Commission) ban extends to the import of the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 which use the blood oxygen sensor technology, thereby killing off the supply of Apple Watch S9 and Ultra 2 altogether. Apple Watch SE doesn’t use the sensor so it will still be available.
Is there any saving? The case has been sent to the Biden administration for a 60-day Presidential Review Period. During this period, President Biden can veto the ruling but that hasn’t happened yet and The Presidential Review Period expires on 25th December. So Apple has taken precautionary measures to comply with ITC’s ruling and stop the sale of the Watches.
Services and repairs are still valid for the Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 sold before the 25th of December. So you have till the 21st of December to grab the thing from the Apple website, and retail store units will be available till 24th December. If you’re reading this outside of the US then breathe easy, the ban doesn’t apply outside of the US. The watches will still be available for sale here in India and other countries besides the US.