Apple to halt US sales of Series 9, Ultra 2 smartwatches over patent dispute

Apple said on Monday it would pause sales of its Series 9 and Ultra 2 smartwatches in the United States from this week, as it deals with a patent dispute over the technology that enables the blood oxygen feature on the devices.

The move comes after an order in October from the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) that could bar Apple from importing its Apple Watches after finding the devices violate medical technology company Masimo's patent rights.

Apple shares were down 1.4 per cent after the news.

The decision is under review by President Joe Biden until Dec. 25, but Apple said it is preemptively taking steps to comply should the ruling stand. The White House declined to comment.

The company said it would pause sales of the watches from its website starting Dec. 21, and from Apple retail locations after Dec. 24. Other models that do not contain the blood oxygen sensor are unaffected by the dispute.

Ryan Reith, program vice president for research firm IDC's mobile device tracking efforts, said that US holiday sales of Apple Watches will not suffer and that the full impact of the ruling, if it stands, will come in January and February, typically some of Apple's slowest sales months in the US.

"Apple has plenty of inventory of Watch 8 and SE so they will have products available during that time," Reith said. "The bigger implication is around whether or not Apple can use the blood oxygen sensor technology that is in question on future devices, or if they'll have to reach a settlement or come up with a new solution."

Apple has about a quarter of the global smartwatch market, according to Counterpoint Research - a share that tends to rise to more than a third in the fourth quarter during the US and European holiday sales seasons. Both the Series 9 and the Ultra 2 would remain available for purchase outside of the United States, including during the Lunar New Year season in Asia.

Apple said it believes the ITC's finding was erroneous, should be reversed and that it intends to appeal the decision to the Federal Circuit.

Masimo has accused Apple of hiring away its employees, stealing its pulse oximetry technology and incorporating it into the popular Apple Watch.

A jury trial on Masimo's allegations in California federal court ended with a mistrial in May. Apple has separately sued Masimo for patent infringement in a federal court in Delaware and has called Masimo's legal actions a "maneuver to clear a path" for its own competing smartwatch.

A presidential administration has not vetoed an ITC ruling since 2013, when President Barack Obama's administration overturned an import ban on Apple's iPhones and iPads from a patent dispute with Samsung.

The Biden administration in February chose not to veto a separate import ban on Apple Watches based on a patent-infringement complaint from medical technology company AliveCor. The ITC has placed the ban on hold for other reasons.

Apple's wearables, home and accessory business, which includes the Apple Watch, AirPods earbuds and other products, brought in $8.28 billion in revenue during the third quarter of 2023, according to a company report.