Apple’s in a real scramble, hustling to tweak the software on its Apple Watch to dodge a potential ban in the US. The reason? A patent dispute that’s hanging over its head, as reported by Bloomberg. This patent drama revolves around the blood oxygen sensor, a nifty feature that debuted with the Apple Watch 6 in 2020. Enter Masimo, a California-based company that threw a lawsuit at Apple in 2021, claiming the sensor on Apple’s turf infringed on two of its patents linked to light-based blood-oxygen monitoring. Cut to October, and the International Trade Commission (ITC) sided with Masimo, stating that Apple did indeed step on some patent toes.
Now, with a 60-day Presidential Review ticking away, Apple’s pulling out all the stops to tweak the software, hoping to keep the Apple Watch 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 on the shelves. The plan? Halt sales on its website by December 21 and in retail stores by December 24 unless President Biden swoops in for a save.
Sure, settling with Masimo is on the table, but Apple’s mad dash to fiddle with the software hints that they’re exploring other avenues. The company’s game plan involves submitting its software workaround to the ITC, crossing fingers for the green light.
Masimo’s CEO, Joe Kiani, is open to playing nice but spills the tea that no talks have happened yet. He throws shade on the idea that a software update can untangle this mess, stressing that their patents zoom in on hardware, not software. Now, shaking up the Apple Watch hardware? That’s a whole different ball game. It’s not as easy as a software tweak, needing ITC nods and facing a months-long saga of manufacturing and shipping for spruced-up versions.
