Apple appeals the ban on the Ultra 2 and Watch Series 9

According to court documents, Apple has appealed to the International Trade Commission (ITC) to overturn a prohibition on the sale of the Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 in the United States. Additionally, the business is asking for an emergency stay of the prohibition until the suggested redesigns of both smartwatch models are decided.

In an interview with Reuters, the firm stated that it is “taking all measures to return” the smartwatches to US retail locations. That comprises more than simply attractiveness. Apple even brought the case to President Biden, seeking in vain for a veto. Although Apple began removing smartwatches from its online and physical locations last week, the prohibition formally takes effect today.

Apple states in its lawsuit from today that if the prohibition stays in place, it would “suffer irreparable harm.” On January 13, U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Exclusion Order Enforcement Branch is expected to provide a determination about Apple’s redesigned smartwatches.

The ITC’s ruling that Apple had violated the patents of a health tech company named Masimo on blood oxygen saturation measuring technology was the catalyst for the entire situation. As a result, Apple had to act quickly to release a software update before the prohibition took effect. Software changes wouldn’t work, either, as the ITC and Masimo concurred that there was a hardware problem impacting the actual sensor. Apple is now working on redesigning the sensors for the two types of smartwatches. Since the Apple Watch SE lacks a blood oxygen sensor, the prohibition does not apply to it.

Masimo filed a second lawsuit against Apple in 2021 in response to the previously reported patient infractions. Masimo even claimed that the firm had stolen workers with advanced knowledge of blood oxygen monitoring capabilities. There’s still a chance the two businesses may reach a financial settlement and end this dispute.

What does this entail for shoppers seeking some wrist candy, then? The prohibition just affects the US, so you can still purchase the Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 elsewhere. Until the supply runs out, you may still purchase the watches from independent US merchants. However, you are unable to buy one of these smartwatches straight from Apple.

Roughly half of the smartwatch market is made up of Apple Watch sales. Therefore, the corporation is not lying when it claims that the restriction would result in “irreparable harm.”

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