Apple is now selling versions of the Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 without
banned feature

Date:
Thu, 18 Jan 2024 11:57:36 +0000

Description:
Apple has been forced to remove its blood oxygen feature from the Apple Watch due to a patent dispute.

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The Apple Watch ban saga has taken another turn, and its one that Apple is
not at all happy about. In an unprecedented move, Apple has confirmed that it's now selling revised versions of the Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 in the US without their now-banned blood oxygen features, starting today
(January 18).

These new versions of the Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 go on sale from 6am PT today from the online Apple Store and in physical Apple Stores today, too. Apple said in a statement to 9to5Mac that the move is "pending an appeal" and that "we believe the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit should reverse the USITCs decision".

Despite Apple's protestations, a U.S. appeals court has rejected Apples bid
to pause a ban on the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2. The ban was enacted after the International Trade Commission (ITC) deemed Apples watches infringed on blood oxygen patents held by medical tech firm Massimo, with the result that Apple is unable to sell any smartwatches containing the feature in question.

The feature has been patched out in a software update , and Apple has not had to make any costly hardware changes. That means the feature could potentially be re-enabled in the future if subsequent court rulings go Apples way. Apple has also explained that affected Watch models that were already sold before the appeal courts ruling will be unaffected and will be able to continue
using the blood oxygen feature, as will those sold outside the U.S. A serious setback (Image credit: Apple)

The Apple Watch is unlikely to lose its place as the best smartwatch you can buy, even without this prominent feature. But nevertheless, its a situation Apple is clearly unhappy about, and one that the company is hoping will be reversed sooner or later.

The company has updated its website with a prominent banner noting the
absence of the feature. Despite Apples disagreement with the decision, its likely that it will have to keep the blood oxygen feature disabled for the foreseeable future, as the company has said that it thinks the appeals
process could take over a year.

While the feature has been nixed, we wouldnt expect Apple to remove the blood oxygen sensors themselves from the next Apple Watch , which is due to launch this September.

If Apples appeal is successful then it will want to re-enable the feature as soon as possible, and it wont be able to do that if the sensors are absent. Besides that, physically removing them would require updating its manufacturing processes for what might be just a temporary setback, which would be hugely expensive and inconvenient for Apple. You might also like Apple Watch Ultra 2 and Series 9 sales ban: all your questions, answered
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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/health-fitness/smartwatches/apple-is-now-selling-ver sions-of-the-watch-series-9-and-ultra-2-without-banned-feature


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