It's been a few days since the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 are withdrawn from the Apple online store in the United States.
Monday (18-12-2023), Apple said he will have to suspend the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 sales to comply with an International Trade Commission request that prohibits the United States of components related to Apple Watch's blood monitoring technology. The ITC issued the judgment after decided that the Blood Oxygen sensor of Apple Watch violates the patents owned by the Masimo medical devices.
This selling prohibition is also applied to the Refrontated Apple Series 7 and Apple Watch 8 models, as they also contain the blood oxygen measurement sensor. Apple Watch is the only model that is not affected by this prohibition.
Could Apple still sell the Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 in the US?
Apple could resume the Sales of Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 in the US if the White House rejects the import prohibition, having time until December 25 to review the order and decide if it intervenes. If the White House does not reject the import prohibition, Apple will not be able to sell Apple Watch until they remove the technology that breaks the patents.
Apple plans to call on December 26, and the company said "it follows a range of legal and technical options" to bring Apple Watch on the shelves of stores as soon as possible.
Apple believes that a software solution could be enough to mitigate the problem, and Apple engineers adjust how oxygen saturation is determined and how data is provided to customers. Apple said he is working to present a solution to avoid US customs prohibition, but it is not clear whether a software solution will be sufficient, because the patents in question refers to hardware.
See also: Apple Watch Series 10: Launch date, price and features
It is certain that those who have waited until the last moment to buy an Apple Watch Series 9 or Apple Watch Ultra 2 to offer Christmas gift, must reorient themselves to another gift or buy the devices in Affara US.
Apparently, at least for the moment, Apple can sell the Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 in countries outside the US, but if you plan to buy such a smart watch, it would be best to hurry.
