• News

Redesigned Apple Watches drop pulse oximeter feature to avoid import ban

Apple's blood-oxygen reading pulse oximetry remains the focus of an ongoing trial.

Ozzie Mejia

January 16, 2024 11:05 AM

Apple

2

Apple has been continuing to address its various issues with its products overseas, but has also hit some obstacles at home in the United States. One of its latest hurdles involves the Apple Watch, which has been facing an import ban from the U.S. International Trade Commission. That snafu appears to be clearing up, as a Monday court filing revealed that Apple could issue a redesign to get around that ban.

According to CNBC, the U.S. International Trade Commission's main issue has been with the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 blood-oxygen reading pulse oximetry patents. A company called Masimo has been at the center of this specific legal dispute, alleging that Apple has infringed on its blood-oxygen reading pulse oximetry patents. Apple has since countersued on the grounds that Apple Watch products with pulse oximeter tech have been available since 2022 while Masimo brought its product to market in 2022. The commission's ban, initially issued on December 26, had been granted a pause from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit pending any further developments.

While Apple plans to continue fighting this case, Masimo appears satisfied with the current redesign, which does not contain pulse oximetry features. Those new models have been making their way across the country and are available for purchase online. However, Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 models with blood-oxygen level reading features remain available from select retailers and will remain so pending the outcome of this trial.

This is an interesting case to watch. Whether Apple or Masimo prevail remains to be seen, but we'll be monitoring this case as it develops.

Ozzie Mejia

Senior Editor

Ozzie has been playing video games since picking up his first NES controller at age 5. He has been into games ever since, only briefly stepping away during his college years. But he was pulled back in after spending years in QA circles for both THQ and Activision, mostly spending time helping to push forward the Guitar Hero series at its peak. Ozzie has become a big fan of platformers, puzzle games, shooters, and RPGs, just to name a few genres, but he’s also a huge sucker for anything with a good, compelling narrative behind it. Because what are video games if you can't enjoy a good story with a fresh Cherry Coke?