The dispute between Apple and Masimo goes back years. By halting sales of the Series 9 and Ultra 2 watches in the U.S., Apple is getting ready to comply with the anticipated ban. Barring a last-minute Christmas miracle from the Biden administration, it could be months, or longer, before the watches are available again. Apple is expected to appeal the ruling in federal court.
In a statement to GQ, an Apple spokesperson said, “Apple strongly disagrees with the order and is pursuing a range of legal and technical options to ensure that Apple Watch is available to customers.”. The statement adds: “Should the order stand, Apple will continue to take all measures to return Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 to customers in the U.S. as soon as possible.”
What does this mean if you want an Apple Smartwatch?
Shoppers have just a few more days left to buy the Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 online from apple.com (3 p.m. ET on Dec. 21st) and in Apple stores (Dec. 24th). No one’s sure when the smartwatches will return to sale. The Apple Watch Series 8 and Ultra 2 smartwatches may still be available through retailers like Amazon and Target for a limited time—basically, until their inventory runs out. Which probably won’t be long, if Apple’s unable to import more units.
That sensor at issue is only in the company’s two newest watches, but not the base-model Apple Watch SE, which will remain on sale.
Apple’s Series 9 and Ultra 2 are the latest and greatest, though, and always popular tech gifts around the holidays. If you want to give either as a gift—or grab one in anticipation of a new year, new you return to the gym with a fitness tracker on your wrist—your window just got smaller.
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