Apple Halts Sales of Smartwatches
Company pulls Apple Watch Series 9, Ultra 2 from US website
Hardware swaps for broken Apple Watches won’t be offered in US
Tweet on unprecedented Apple Watch dispute
@Apple has stopped selling the Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 in the US on its online store, just days before a ban related to a patent dispute takes effect, via Bloomberg#Apple #smartwatch #patent #brand pic.twitter.com/RBx6Sjrjcx
— The_Journalbiz (@the_journalbiz) December 22, 2023
The journlabiz Tweet on Apple patent dispute
Apple Inc. has stopped selling the Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 in the US on its online store, just days before a ban related to a patent dispute takes effect.
The company also will no longer be able to repair out-of-warranty watch models, a potential headache for consumers.
The newest Apple Watch models were no longer available for purchase from the company’s website as of about 3 p.m. Thursday in New York.
The company previously said it would end sales at its about 270 physical retail stores in the US on Dec. 24. Online purchasing in the US was stopped earlier than in-store sales so that watches could be sent to consumers before a ban scheduled for Dec. 25 goes into effect. Sales will continue at Apple’s international online and in-person stores.
Apple posted a message on the website saying it “no longer sells Apple Watch units in the United States with the ability to measure blood oxygen.” Apple Watch SE models without that feature are still on sale.
The sales ban was imposed by the US International Trade Commission, which ruled that Apple violated two health-technology patents related to blood oxygen sensing held by Irvine, California-based Masimo Corp.
