You might be too late to buy the latest Apple Watch for Christmas. Apple has removed advertisements for its Series 9 and Ultra 2 smart watches from its online store, and the watches are now “currently unavailable.”.
By December 24th, these models will also be taken off the shelves from its flagship stores.
Following a ruling by the International Trade Commission that Apple violated Masimo’s patents relating to blood oxygen monitoring, online sales have halted. A feature on both watches being pulled from shelves tracks the wearer’s blood oxygen levels.
The ban will prevent Apple from importing Apple Watches from overseas once it takes effect.
If Apple pulls sales of these models, it could lose between 0 million and 0 million. According to Bloomberg, the iPhone maker is currently taking steps to resolve the blood oxygen monitor issue, including updating its software. In addition, Apple has said it will fight the ITC ruling.
The ruling, according to Masimo, “demonstrates that even the world’s most powerful company must adhere to the law.”
The company will also no longer replace out-of-warranty watches, Bloomberg reported. That includes models dating back to Apple Watch Series 6, which have the blood oxygen feature ruled patentable by the commission.
There was no word from Apple on when its latest watches would be back online.
In 2020, Masimo sued Apple for patent infringement related to its pulse oximetry technology.
In a statement to Bloomberg, Joe Kiani, CEO and founder of Masimo, said, “This is not an accident. This is a deliberate theft of our intellectual property.”
Additionally, Kiani claimed that the tech giant poached 25 engineers from the medical company, including its chief medical officer and the chief technology officer.
In Kiani’s statement, he said he was open to working with Apple to reach a settlement. Apple has only two other options if the two companies don’t settle: either get Biden to veto the ruling, which is unlikely, or convince customs officials that a software tweak will fix the issue without requiring any hardware changes.
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