Apple—unprecedentedly—is about to stop selling two models of its smartwatch, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 and Apple Watch Series 9 in the United States, so if you want to buy one this side of the holidays, you need to move fast. Here’s everything you need to know.
Why Is Apple Stopping Sales?
The reason is what Apple describes as an agency order and litigation. It relates to a long-running intellectual property dispute with the medical technology company Masimo around the Apple Watch’s blood oxygen sensor technology, a dispute which Apple has lost, for now at least. The company has never taken Apple Watches off the shelves before.
The story was first reported by 9to5Mac when Apple put out a statement, which I’ve also now been sent.
Removing a product from sale is a drastic move, and Apple is taking preemptive action because of an order from the International Trade Commission relating to Apple Watches with blood oxygen monitoring capabilities.
Apple’s statement begins, “A Presidential Review Period is in progress regarding an order from the U.S. International Trade Commission on a technical intellectual property dispute pertaining to Apple Watch devices containing the Blood Oxygen feature. While the review period will not end until December 25, Apple is preemptively taking steps to comply should the ruling stand.”
When Is It Happening?
This week, sales on apple.com of Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 will cease at 3 p.m. Eastern on Thursday, December 21. In-store purchases, or pickup of online orders from apple.com, will stop at end of day on Sunday, December 24.
Is It All Apple Watches?
No. It’s two of the three models that Apple currently sells, excluding its certified refurbished products, which are mostly restricted to some Series 8 models. The third main offering, Apple Watch SE, is unaffected because it doesn’t have the blood oxygen monitoring at the heart of the dispute, a feature Apple introduced with Series 6. Apple Watches with blood oxygen monitoring that have already been sold are not affected either; they’ll continue to work as they should.
Is It Everywhere?
No, it’s the U.S. only, and sales from Apple only. You will still be able to buy it from other sources such as Amazon—while stocks last.
Is It Forever?
It seems unlikely, and Apple is describing it as a pause. The Presidential Review Period ends on December 25, so if the Biden administration decides to strike down the ruling, then sales can begin again, though it’s not clear how soon. This would be a good result for Apple, but it seems unlikely, though not impossible. Apple could appeal or settle with Masimo.
Whatever the result of the Presidential Review Period, this is serious stuff. In short, if you want an Apple Watch with blood monitoring, time is running out.
Apple’s statement went on, “Apple strongly disagrees with the order and is pursuing a range of legal and technical options to ensure that Apple Watch is available to customers. Should the order stand, Apple will continue to take all measures to return Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 to customers in the U.S. as soon as possible.”
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