Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 Back on Sale
After a tumultuous end to the year, marked by patent infringement disputes and a ban on the sale of its smartwatches, Apple can breathe a sigh of relief. The Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 models have reclaimed their spots on store shelves and online platforms following a new court ruling.
Sale and Import Ban of Apple Watches Temporarily Suspended
The sale and import ban that hit Apple’s latest smartwatches has been temporarily suspended by a federal appeals court in the United States. This recent decision allows Apple to resume the sale of the Series 9 and Ultra 2 models. These smartwatches are now available once again in certain physical stores as of today in the United States and will become more accessible by Saturday.
Online sales are set to resume on Friday according to information provided by Nikki Rothberg, an Apple spokesperson. However, the appellate court’s decision only allows for a temporary resumption of sales while it’s determined whether the modifications proposed by Apple can resolve the patent issues that have surrounded this legal saga.
Originally, these changes were set to be reviewed on January 12th by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. But a change in schedule now requires the court to suspend the ban imposed on Apple, potentially granting the company a few months of breathing room.
Nikki Rothberg has also stated in a letter sent to the media outlet The Verge, “Apple’s teams have worked tirelessly for many years to develop technology that provides users with cutting-edge health, wellness, and safety features, and we are delighted that the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has suspended the exclusion order while it reviews our request for a stay pending our full appeal.”
Apple’s Patent Issues Yet to Be Resolved
The sale and import ban that affected the Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 stems from allegations of patent infringement. The United States International Trade Commission indeed found that certain patents held by medical device manufacturer Masimo were improperly used by Apple.
The patents in question relate to a blood oxygen saturation sensor, and these two watches, released in late 2020, are the only ones that currently feature this technology at Apple. The company was thus forced to completely withdraw them from its physical and online stores in the United States. While the ban was set to take effect on December 26, Apple had preemptively complied with it.
However, third-party retailers were allowed to continue selling their inventory even with the ban in effect. The import ban could have ended their sales, but the temporary suspension comes just in time.