Apple’s been in a legal tussle with medical tech whiz Masimo over their smartwatch blood oxygen sensor for a year now. Plot twist: a U.S. judge dropped the gavel in January, saying Apple played fast and loose with Masimo’s patent. Apple tried to shake it off, but the International Trade Commission (ITC) wasn’t having it, slapping a ban on the wearables.
Starting December 21, say your goodbyes to the Apple Watch 9 and Ultra 2 in the official Apple store. They’ll linger in Apple Stores until Christmas Eve, and poof! Off the shelves they go.
Sure, you can hunt them down on third-party sites, but here’s the kicker: Apple won’t be whipping up more. What’s out there is all there is for the foreseeable future.
We’ve scouted some listings for you, but fair warning: grab ’em while you can because no restocks are coming. Once they vanish, it’s game over.
But hold up, there’s a twist in the tale. Apple’s not throwing in the towel. Nope, they’re gearing up to duke it out in the legal arena, appealing to the Federal Circuit, hoping to break free from the ban.
Word on the street is, Apple’s cooking up a software tweak to sneak past the ban. But here’s the kicker: Masimo’s CEO spilled the beans that the issue is hardware, not software. Will a software patch be the superhero Apple needs? Only time will tell.
Now, some are waving the President Biden flag, suggesting he could swoop in and veto the ban. But, here’s the kicker (again): it’s in the hands of U.S. Trade Rep Katherine Tai. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre spilled the tea that Ambassador Tai is mulling it over.
