Starting today, Apple will sell the Series 9 and Ultra 2 smartwatches without the blood oxygen feature in the United States.
As reported by Bloomberg and independently confirmed by IGN, the news comes after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Court denied extending the pause on the import ban of both smartwatches. However, the ban does not impact Series 9 and Ultra 2 watches sold outside the United States.
Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 were originally pulled from sale last month to comply with the ban set forth by the United States International Trade Commission (ITC). The ban was part of an ongoing patent dispute between Apple and health tech company Masimo regarding the oxygen saturation (SpO2) sensor. A few days after the original announcement, Apple won an appeal to pause the ban from going into effect.
These revised devices will be available in both Apple's retail stores and the company's official website. According to Apple, if you purchased one of these wearables before the original ban, there will be "no impact" on your device.
The removal of the blood oxygen features is not entirely surprising; earlier this week, 9to5Mac reported that a letter from Masimo revealed Apple was planning a workaround to remove the sensor on both wearables.
Apple introduced a blood oxygen sensor to its wearables in 2020 with the Series 6. The sensor would then be available on the Series 7 and the Ultra before making its way onto Series 9 and Ultra 2 last year. Apple has discontinued the sale of those three wearables, with the SE (Gen 2), Series 9, and Ultra 2 currently available for purchase. Yet, Apple's lower-end wearable, the SE, remains unaffected by the ban in any capacity as it is the only wearable not to feature the technology.
Before the Series 6 was released, Masimo sued Apple earlier that year over the blood oxygen patents. The legal complaint filed by Masimo also alleged that Apple was poaching its employees.
Taylor is a Reporter at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.
