Apple Is Pulling One of Its Major Products From Sale This Week

Apple is removing a popular product from store shelves. This week, a patent dispute caused the company to halt sales of some Apple Watch models in the United States.

Apple will no longer be selling its Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 starting on Thursday on Apple.com and from retail stores after December 24, CNN reported.

As a result of an ongoing dispute with medical device maker Masimo over the blood oxygen feature of one of the company's most popular products, the company has decided to cease selling it. 

An October U.S. International Trade Commission decision determined that Apple violated Masimo's pulse oximeter patent, which uses light-based technology to determine blood oxygen levels. President Biden must review the ruling within 60 days before a ban can be imposed, according to CNN.

"While the review period will not end until December 25, Apple is preemptively taking steps to comply should the ruling stand," the company said in a statement.

It added, "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."

In the event that the order remains in place, the company said it 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."

Apple Watch Series 6 and later, and all models of Apple Watch Ultra imported after the end of an upcoming review period, will be affected by an import ban, but Apple Watch SE sales will not be affected, Apple said.

The company stated that it believes the ITC's findings are erroneous and should be reversed, and it also plans to appeal the decision to the Federal Circuit.

Additionally, Apple said it has provided evidence that a ban would negatively impact medical researchers, healthcare providers, and users of Apple Watches who use ECGs, blood oxygen levels, or other health-related functions.

Ongoing disputes between Apple and Masimo have long plagued the two companies. Apple filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Masimo in October 2022, accusing the company of copying the patented features of the Apple Watch and claiming that they copied those features into Masimo's W1 medical smartwatch.

Apple unveiled its new Series 9 phone in September. The phone features a custom S9 chip designed for faster processing, allowing users to control the watch with hand gestures, a feature thanks to a neural engine that processes data from sensors and machine learning.