Although the corporation claims to be taking “all measures” to retrace its steps, it entered into effect today.
According to court documents, Apple has appealed to the International Trade Commission (ITC) in an effort to overturn a prohibition on the sale of the Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 in the United States. The company has also asked for an emergency stay of the ban, which will remain in place until the proposed redesigns of both smartwatch models are resolved.
The appeal is just one aspect of that; the matter even went before President Biden, with Apple pleading in vain for a veto; the ban officially takes effect today, though Apple began removing smartwatches from its physical and digital storefronts last week. The company spoke to Reuters and stated it is “taking all measures to return” the smartwatches to US store shelves.
The Exclusion Order Enforcement Branch of U.S. Customs and Border Protection is expected to issue a decision on Apple’s redesigned smartwatches on January 13. Apple asserts in today’s filing that it will “suffer irreparable harm” if the ban continues.
A software fix was quickly released by Apple in response to the ITC’s ruling that it had violated the patents of a health tech company called Masimo for blood oxygen saturation tracking technology. However, Masimo and the ITC concluded that the problem actually stems from the hardware of the sensor, so software fixes were insufficient, and Apple is now in the process of redesigning the sensors for the two smartwatch models—the Apple Watch SE is exempt from the ban because it does not have a blood oxygen sensor.
It is still conceivable the two firms will reach a financial settlement, putting this issue to rest. Masimo sued Apple back in 2021 over the aforementioned patient infractions, even claiming that the corporation stole personnel with high-level knowledge of blood oxygen monitoring capabilities.
What does this mean for consumers who are looking for a little wrist candy? Well, you can still purchase the Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 from third-party retailers in the US until the stock runs out. You cannot, however, buy one directly from Apple. You can still buy the watches in other countries. The ban only affects the US.
Sales of Apple Watches make up around half of the smartwatch industry overall, so the corporation is not kidding when it claims that the prohibition will result in “irreparable harm.”