1702973489283_m.jpg)
Apple seems to be in big trouble as the Watch Series 9 and flagship Watch Ultra 2 may face a ban in the United States over the patent dispute with Masimo. The International Trade Commission (ITC) has already directed the ban from the Christmas day because of patent infringement in the Spo2 sensor which monitors the blood oxygen level of the users.
In a new update, Bloomberg claims that Apple engineers are already making some changes in terms of software updates and modifying the algorithms in order to avoid payment infringement. If the tech giant will not be able to avoid patent infringement, the company will definitely see an impact on its business in the United States. Only White House intervention in favour of Apple could avoid the ban now.
READ: Apple Watch Series 9, Ultra 2 Will Not Be Available For Purchase In US Soon; Here's Why
As reported earlier, Apple is already making in-store promotions, excluding images of smartwatches from the banners. For those unaware, the company will stop online sales from December 21 and the offline stores will stop selling the devices from December 24. However, the Apple Watch SE will be available for purchase.
What Patent Is It?
According to resources, the entire dispute is centred on hardware patents, specifically the mechanism of light emission into the skin for blood oxygen measurement. Apple is currently planning a software upgrade and intends to submit it to US Customs for clearance, whereas the medical technology company claims that a software update is insufficient and requests hardware improvements.
If Apple goes around with the hardware changes, the process could expand to at least three months with necessary production and shipment changes. Not only that, the other medical features may also complicate the timeline.
For those unaware, the blood oxygen level monitoring feature was introduced back in 2020 during the pandemic. It aimed to help users monitor it the whole day. Apple’s financial impact may also be a key reason.