Resumption of January 18 Sales Ban for Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 Models

Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 sales will be halted again in the U.S. starting at 5 PM tomorrow, January 18, due to the rejection of a bid by Apple to have the sales ban paused throughout its appeal of an ITC decision that found its blood oxygen feature infringe on patents by medical tech company Masimo. Meanwhile, Apple has another route available to avoid a halt: U.S. Customs said earlier in the week that it would consider a software update that disabled Apple Watch blood oxygen sensing features to put the devices beyond the scope of the ITC ban, which means the company could effectively keep selling them if it pushes a firmware update to turn off all the pulse oximetry stuff. Apple’s appeal will still continue, however, and this doesn’t mean they won’t eventually win that, which would allow for a resumption of sale with the blood oxygen features included. It’ll be interesting to see what happens tomorrow when that 5 PM ET deadline hits. For those keeping track, this means the current Apple Watch models have now been removed from sale, resumed sales, and are pending another sales stoppage, all in under a month.

The highly anticipated launches of Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 in the U.S. have been halted once again, causing a stir among eager customers. As of 5 PM tomorrow, January 18, sales will come to a stop due to Apple’s bid being rejected by the U.S. Court of Appeals. The bid aimed to put a pause on the sales ban while their appeal is being reviewed over an ITC decision.

This decision was based on multiple factors, including the likelihood of Apple succeeding in their appeal, although the court made sure to note that this decision does not reflect on the overall merits of the appeal. While this may be a setback for Apple, they still have another potential solution to avoid a halt in sales. U.S. Customs announced earlier in the week that they would consider allowing Apple to continue sales if they release a software update that disables the blood oxygen sensing features, effectively removing them from the ITC’s scope. This means that Apple could potentially keep selling their current models if they release a firmware update in time.

However, Apple’s appeal will still continue and they may eventually win, allowing them to resume sales with the blood oxygen features included. It’s a waiting game to see what will happen tomorrow at the 5 PM ET deadline.

For those keeping track, this rollercoaster of sales halts has occurred within the span of just one month for the current Apple Watch models. It’s certainly been a whirlwind for both Apple and its customers.