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The Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 are two of the best smartwatches you can buy in 2023. Unfortunately, you won’t be able to purchase these from Apple soon. On Monday, December 18th, Apple announced that it will stop selling both Apple Watch models starting December 21st.
In a statement sent to 9to5Mac, Apple said, “Starting December 21st, we will suspend sales of the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 on Apple.com and at Apple retail stores starting December 24th. ” he admitted.
This is a sudden and shocking announcement, but it also brings with it big questions. The question is “Why?”
Why should Apple stop selling the Apple Watch?
This all stems from a ruling issued by the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) as part of a dispute between Apple and Masimo, a medical technology company based in Irvine, California. Masimo has been following Apple for years. The company filed a lawsuit in January 2020, accusing Apple of stealing trade secrets and infringing 10 of its patents. Masimo took things a step further in June 2021, requesting the ITC to enact a ban on importing Apple Watch Series 6.
In October of this year, the ITC upheld a previous judge’s ruling that Apple had infringed Masimo’s patents, specifically those related to blood oxygen sensing in the Apple Watch. The ruling has since entered a “period of presidential review,” meaning President Joe Biden can veto it. The veto option expires on Dec. 25, so Biden still has time to make that choice, but Apple is clearly operating under the assumption that won’t happen.
Another part of Apple’s statement reads:
“A presidential review period is underway regarding an order from the U.S. International Trade Commission regarding a technical intellectual property dispute regarding Apple Watch devices with blood oxygen capabilities. The review period does not end until December 25th, but the If this is valid, Apple is taking proactive steps to comply.”
Affected Apple Watch models
This Thursday, Apple will discontinue sales of two Apple Watch models: Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2. Apple Watch SE 2 is also sold by Apple. do not have They are affected because they do not have the technology to sense blood oxygen.
Similarly, older Apple Watch models with blood oxygen sensors (such as Apple Watch Series 6, Series 7, Series 8, and 1st generation Ultra) are also unaffected.
what this means to you
That’s the background to the dispute between Apple and Masimo, but what does all this actually mean to you?
Apple will stop selling the Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 on its website starting Thursday, December 21st at 3pm ET. After that, sales of smartwatches will end at Apple’s physical stores on December 24th. It is important to note that this sales ban only applies to Apple’s online stores and retail stores. Third-party retailers such as Amazon and Best Buy will continue to sell the Series 9 and Ultra 2 as usual.
However, things may change. Imports of Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 to the US will be prohibited from December 25th. If that happens, third-party retailers will also have to stop selling smartwatches.
Existing Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 models you already own will continue to function normally. This ruling by the ITC specifically focuses on the sale of new watches and does not affect the functionality of existing watches.
Where does Apple go from here?
This is a big issue that Apple needs to address and will very likely impact your holiday shopping.However, there are still many if It needs to be addressed.
Biden could still veto the ITC’s ruling and block the ban from taking effect. Apple also confirmed to 9to5Mac that it plans to appeal the ITC’s decision on December 26th if President Biden does not veto it. However, even if there is an appeal, the sales ban will go into effect as planned.
it’s a lot did it It will happen in the next few days, but for now it all boils down to this. If you’re planning on buying an Apple Watch Series 9 or Apple Watch Ultra 2, you’ll probably need to buy one sooner rather than later.
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