Looking to acquire a new Apple Watch? Enthusiasts may want to act quickly, at least in the United States. In October 2023, the US International Trade Commission found that Apple had infringed on patents owned by Masimo, a medical technology company. The infringement concerns technology that enables the blood oxygen saturation feature in the new Series 9 and Ultra 2 watches. Together with its decision on the infringement, the Commission imposed an import and sales ban for said watches in the US, which came into effect on 26 December.

As can be expected, Apple is trying to find solutions to avoid the ban. The tech giant initially asked the President’s administration to veto the ban, however, this request was denied, and Apple ceased sales of the Series 9 and Ultra 2 watches before 26 December. As a new turn of events, and after just one day from it taking effect, the ban was temporarily paused on 27 December by an appeals court. The watches are back in stores in the US for the time being.

What next? Apple has claimed that it redesigned its watch models to not include the disputed technology, therefore aiming to bypass the ban entirely. The US Customs and Border Protection is expected to make its decision on the matter in mid-January, after which we can expect more clarity on the future of Apple’s new watches.