In a deliberate response to an ongoing patent dispute with health tech company Masimo, Apple has revealed that the Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 will no longer include the blood oxygen capability. The ruling comes after a federal appeals court ruled against Apple, preventing the company from selling watches with blood oxygen sensors while the patent battle is still pending.
Removed from US Retail Shops
As of Thursday, the Series 9 and Ultra 2 devices without the blood oxygen capability are available for purchase on Apple’s website and in US retail shops. Although clients purchasing these versions will still see references to the blood oxygen feature, pressing it will reveal a notification informing them that the feature is no longer available. Existing Apple Watch owners who have the blood oxygen feature will be unaffected, and Apple will continue to sell these watches abroad.
This move comes after a series of legal problems for Apple. In January 2023, a US judge ruled that Apple’s blood oxygen monitoring technology infringed on Masimo’s patents, prompting the US International Trade Commission to block the import of watches featuring the challenged functionality in October.
Apple’s appeal is still pending, and the corporation emphasized its dissatisfaction with the USITC judgment, saying, “We believe the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit should reverse the USITC’s decision.” Despite the court setbacks, Apple is convinced that the prohibition will eventually be lifted.
The changes to the Series 9 and Ultra 2 models do not affect the Apple Watch SE, which does not have a blood oxygen sensor. The US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has ruled that Apple must suspend sales of watches containing the challenged functionality by January 18 at 5 p.m. ET. In response, Apple quickly created a workaround that allowed the Series 9 and Ultra 2 to be sold without the blood oxygen sensor, with sales beginning at 6 a.m. PT on the designated date.
While these changed watches still have the Blood Oxygen app, launching it will result in a message reading, “The Blood Oxygen app is no longer available.” Learn more in the Health app on your iPhone,” which directs users to a support article on Apple’s website.
Legal Battle Origin
This legal battle originates from charges by Masimo, claiming that Apple took proprietary information from a potential collaboration meeting and then utilized Masimo’s technology after declining the agreement. The dispute resulted in a ban on the Series 9 and Ultra 2 models, which were the only ones left with the blood oxygen sensor.
Despite the back-and-forth legal challenges, Apple managed to bring the Series 9 and Ultra 2 back to the market, sidestepping the imposed ban. As the court re-reviewed the case, Apple’s swift response allowed these sought-after models to return, albeit without the once-controversial blood oxygen feature.
Despite the back-and-forth court challenges, Apple was able to bring the Series 9 and Ultra 2 back to market, avoiding the imposed ban. As the court reconsidered the issue, Apple’s prompt answer permitted these popular models to return, albeit without the once-controversial blood oxygen feature.
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