Apple has announced the temporary halt of sales for two of its flagship products, the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2, in the United States. The decision comes after an intellectual property dispute concerning their Blood Oxygen feature, as confirmed by the company.
The hiatus is a result of two orders recently issued by the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) on October 26. These orders impose restrictions on Apple, limiting its ability to sell watches equipped with the Blood Oxygen feature. The dispute emerged due to a patent disagreement between Apple and Masimo, a leading medical technology company.
For the time being, customers in the U.S. will not experience any changes in purchasing either watch model. However, starting from 3 p.m. on Thursday, online sales of the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 will be temporarily paused, followed by in-store sales after Sunday.
Although the White House typically has 60 days to evaluate such restrictions, per ITC policy, Apple has preemptively initiated the pause in order to ensure compliance with the order, should the ITC ruling uphold.
As of midday Monday, Apple’s stock has experienced a decrease of more than 1% in response to this development.
If the decision remains unchanged, one of the ITC’s orders will prevent Apple and its affiliates from importing watches that include the Blood Oxygen feature, as well as the materials necessary for its production. Additionally, the second order, a cease and desist, instructs Apple to discontinue the sale of products utilizing the Blood Oxygen feature.
Source (CNBC)
