Apple temporarily stops selling Apple Watch 9 and Ultra 2 in the United States

Apple will pause online sales of the Apple Watch 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 in the United States starting December 21. The reason for the temporary sales stop is a ruling by the ITC in a long-running patent dispute surrounding the oxygen saturation sensor in the smartwatch.

The International Trade Commission sent the issue to the Biden administration in October for a 60-day presidential review period. Although the assessment period does not officially end until December 25 and President Biden can still reverse the decision, Apple has decided to remove its latest smartwatch models from the shelves a little earlier.

From December 21, the Apple Watch 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 will not be available for purchase via Apple’s American webshop for the time being. As of December 24, Apple Watch models will no longer be available in physical stores in the United States. reports 9to5Mac. The ban does not apply to other countries.

Apple itself does not agree with the decision. The tech company would do everything it can to make the Apple Watch 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 available again to customers in the United States as soon as possible. Because the Apple Watch SE 2 does not have the oxygen saturation sensor, this smartwatch may continue to be sold in the country.

In 2020, the medical company Masimo filed a lawsuit against Apple. The company accuses Apple of, among other things, stealing trade secrets and violating patents by implementing the blood oxygen meter in the Apple Watch. In 2021, an application followed with the International Trade Commission, which ruled that Apple had infringed Masimo’s patent.