Apple banned from selling 2 watch models in the US over Blood Oxygen feature
All Apple stores and third party retailers will no longer have permission to sell the watched starting 5pm EST on January 18
Apple will be forced to stop selling its Apple Watch in the US starting 5pm EST on January 18. The sales of the Apple Watch products were previously halted due to a patent dispute over the devices' pulse oximeter feature, but later allowed to be resumed.
All Apple stores and third party retailers will no longer have permission to sell the latest Series 9 and Ultra 2 models with the blood oxygen feature, according to the Daily Mail. This means the only available Apple watch in the US will be the company's budget SE model.
Notably, Apple Watch sales in the US accounted for 42 percent of its overall revenue from North America in 2023. One in three Apple Watches being sold across the globe are sold in the US.
Bloomberg recently reported that Apple decided to remove the blood oxygen measurement tool from the two watch models in an attempt to avoid a sales ban in the US. US Customs and Border Protection has now said that the company can continue to sell the devices in the meantime only if the hardware is redesigned.
The blood oxygen monitor feature allows one to measure the level of oxygen in their blood to make sure it is not low, as that can lead to serious health issues. However, the ITC ruled that Apple illegally incorporated blood oxygen technology from Masimo, which is a medical tech company.
Apple’s online sales were cut off in the US before Christmas, because of the ITC ruling. However, the two watch models – Series 9 and Ultra 2 – were available at Apple's online store by noon Pacific Time on December 28, the company has said. By December 30, the products were more widely available.
Pulse oximetry is a test that one can use to measure the oxygen level, or oxygen saturation, of the blood. Generally, a clip-like device called a probe is placed on body parts such as a finger or an ear lobe, and the probe subsequently uses light to measure how much oxygen is present in the blood. The healthcare provider can thus decide whether a person may need extra oxygen.
