However, after a legal battle with the medical equipment manufacturer Masimo, the ban was lifted temporarily a few weeks ago. 

While Apple has appealed against the sales ban, according to a new report, the Cupertino company plans to remove blood-oxygen tracking functionality from the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 if the appeal fails.

You may not want to update your Apple Watch Ultra 2 or Series 9

The report comes from Bloomberg, and according to the outlet, Apple apparently has a backup plan if its appeal against the sales ban fails to work. 

The plan was reportedly revealed by Masimo and was even approved by the US Customs and Border Protection agency. 

It is widely believed that the issue can be solved with a software tweak. So, it is highly likely that Apple will reinstate the blood-oxygen tracking capabilities if it wins the appeal or forms a deal with Masimo.

According to Bloomberg, Apple has already begun shipping the modified Apple Watch Series 9 and Watch Ultra 2 to retailers with the feature disabled. However, they were still instructed to hold the sales for the moment.

Either way, if you use the Watch Ultra 2 or Series 9 and love Apple’s SpO2 tracking, you may not want to install the upcoming update.

Have any thoughts on this? Drop us a line below in the comments, or carry the discussion to our Twitter or Facebook.

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It seems that has worked in the favor of the iPhone company. 

Due to Apple’s ongoing patent infringement battle with Masimo that resulted in the ban, the company has been unable to sell or import the latest Apple Watches with blood oxygen sensors during the most profitable time of the year. 

Apple finally gets a break in patent infringement case

Apple has finally got a break in this war against Masimo. The company was barely holding its own, but the decision to put the Apple Watch ban on hold came a day after the company asked ITC to pause the ban until a further decision was made in January.

The company had announced that it is putting a hold on the Apple Watch Series 9 and Watch Ultra 2 sale on its website and retail stores. 

The company may have been holding its hopes up for government involvement, but alas, the ban went into effect and the Biden administration declined to intervene.

However, after weeks of battle, Apple has a small victory. The Apple Watch ban is on hold, temporarily till January 10. The company has even released a software update that it believes to have resolved the issue. 

However, the ultimate decision is still pending. We will have to wait until January 12 to see whether or not the new developments were enough to satisfy the government. 

Banned Apple Watches are coming back to select Apple Stores today 

Regarding the reinstatement of the Apple Watch sales in the United States, Apple has provided a statement to 9to5Mac. 

The Cupertino company has confirmed its flagship smartwatch models are available from retail stores and will return to Apple.com today at 12 p.m. PT.

Here’s the complete timeline for the Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2’s return to sales: 

• Availability on select Apple Stores has begun with wider availability by Saturday, December 30.
• Availability on Apple’s website starts today, December 28, by 12 p.m. PT. 

Apple is currently enjoying its small victory and encouraging its customers to check in-store availability at apple.com once online sales have resumed. 

However, let’s not forget, the Apple Watch ban has only been put on hold temporarily until January 10 and we don’t know what will happen on January 12.

Have any thoughts on this? Drop us a line below in the comments, or carry the discussion to our Twitter or Facebook.

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The Biden administration has decided not to challenge the decision of the government tribunal that placed an import ban on the latest Apple Watches. 

The incident follows an ongoing dispute between Apple and medical tech company Masimo. 

Masimo, for years, has claimed that Apple’s wearable devices are copying its patented method of reading blood oxygen levels, which began with the Apple Watch Series 6 launched in 2020.

In turn, Masimo is seeking damages from way back when Apple Watches first introduced the disputed feature.

According to the International Trade Commission’s order on December 26, the Apple Watch sales ban came into effect just a week before Christmas, closing shop for its fitness wearable during this key holiday season.

Which Apple Watches are affected?

Apple may have been hoping for a precedential veto, similar to what happened during the Obama administration back in 2013. But that didn’t happen.  

The latest Apple Watch SE dodges the sales ban bullet, as it does not include the disputed blood oxygen reading feature.

A few older generation Apple Watch models also remain available for purchase, as they lack this specific tracking capability.

For now, these unaffected devices are the only Apple Watch games in town – all other models face blocked sales due to the recent ruling.

When did this all start?

According to a report by Bloomberg, Masimo accuses Apple of poaching its employees and using their knowledge of Masimo’s patented health monitoring technology to develop the Apple Watch.

Masimo filed a lawsuit in January 2020 alleging that Apple had stolen trade secrets and infringed on its patents. The case is still ongoing.

This alleged insider intel gave Apple the means to reverse engineer Masimo’s patented features, claims the legal sparring partner. The implications spotlight a behind-the-scenes look at the ruthless business tactics as the Apple/Masimo patent fight heats up.

Meanwhile, Apple is also suing Masimo for a different patent infringement, and the company is even saying that Masimo’s complaints are an attempt to prepare the market for its own wearable device.

That said, Apple’s fight with Masimo doesn’t end here. This is just the tip of the iceberg, and Apple definitely has more plans in its store. 

The future of the Apple Watch remains a question mark

According to a statement to Reuters, Apple stated,

“We strongly disagree with the USITC decision and resulting exclusion order, and are taking all measures to return Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 to customers in the U.S. as soon as possible.”

On the other hand, a spokesperson from Masimo has mentioned the ITC decision as a win for the company that keeps the integrity of the US patent system. 

Ultimately, it doesn’t change the fact that we are still at a crossroads. You still won’t be able to purchase the latest Apple Watches from online or offline stores in the US this holiday season.  

However, Apple has filed a motion to grant an immediate stay of the orders. According to the filing,

“The Exclusion Order Enforcement Branch of U.S. Customs and Border Protection is scheduled to decide on January 12, 2024 whether a redesigned version of the Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2—which—falls outside the scope of the Commission’s remedial orders. At a minimum, the Court should grant a stay long enough for Customs to make this decision.”

In addition, it also said, “Apple will suffer irreparable harm if the Orders are left in place….”

Have any thoughts on this? Drop us a line below in the comments, or carry the discussion to our Twitter or Facebook.

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The report comes directly from Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman, who says Apple has already informed its services teams via a memo to stop replacing out-of-warranty watch models going back to the Apple Watch Series 6. 

Apple is simply complying with an ITC decision banning Apple from importing these models, which comes back to the patent dispute concerning the SpO2 sensors on the wearables with the medical device maker Masimo.

So, if you have a broken Apple Watch 6, 7, 8, 9, Ultra, or Ultra 2 and want to replace a part, there’s no way to repair it through Apple. However, the company is still offering software advice for the impacted models. 

In addition, the company has coached the service representatives to tell the affected consumers that they would be informed when Apple starts selling replacement parts for older watches.

Unfortunately, with the ban, Apple also has to stop exchanging watches that were purchased before the ban. The retail staff have reportedly been informed, but Apple will replace accessories like the watch bands. 

Retail store Apple Watch ban will go live on December 24

Apple announced the Apple Watch ban a few days ago, and the company has already stopped selling the latest Apple Watches in its online store.

While the Apple Watch models are no longer available on Apple’s online stores, they are still available at physical Apple stores. 

However, the company also intends to suspend sales from around 270 retail outlets starting December 24 before a scheduled import ban goes into effect on December 25.

Have any thoughts on this? Drop us a line below in the comments, or carry the discussion to our Twitter or Facebook.

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And now, a new leak says the 2024 models will feature completely redesigned bands. 

Earlier this year, a Bloomberg report stated Apple is exploring a completely new design for the 10th anniversary model.

The report said the redesign will include a new redesigned magnetic band system that would free up more space inside the chassis for new components or a bigger battery. 

A new leak from Kosutami on X/Twitter corroborates this previous leak, casting doubt on the backward compatibility with current bands.

Will old Apple Watch bands be no good for new models?

The leak has also asserted that the reason for this change is the same as what Mark Gurman said earlier in the year – “current connectors take a lot of space.”

We love the fact that Apple is working on new bands for the Apple Watch X besides the design overhaul. But it also opens the door to some new issues. 

Since the dawn of the Apple Watch in 2014, the watch bands have come to have an ecosystem of their own. But the advent of a new band attachment system will mean they need to swap them out for good. 

It means the current watch bands won’t work on the next-generation watches unless Apple provides a way to bridge the gap, which, of course, seems unlikely. 

Other Apple Watch X reports have also stated the next-gen watch will be thinner, likely due to the change in the band attachment system.

But the Apple Watch X news comes on the back of another disturbing revelation for Apple.

The Cupertino company has announced that it is halting the sales of the Apple Watch Series 9 and Watch Ultra 2 due to an import ban on both by the FTC over a patent infringement dispute with Masimo. 

Have any thoughts on this? Drop us a line below in the comments, or carry the discussion to our Twitter or Facebook.

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You might wonder why Apple would halt sales of its wildly successful Apple Watch models. Well, 9to5Mac reports that Apple is complying with an ITC decision banning Apple from importing these models.

The decision comes from a long-running patent dispute between Apple and a medical company, Masimo, over the technology in the blood oxygen sensor used in the Apple Watch.

It’s worth mentioning that while this ruling bans Apple from importing these devices, it doesn’t affect retailer outlets, which will still carry the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2.

Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 are the subject of import bans

This long-running legal fight over technology in the Apple Watch doesn’t appear to be over. It stretches back to when the two companies were potentially collaborators before the first Apple Watch was released.

Masimo’s blood oxygen sensor technology is used in many hospitals, so it’sApple would have liked to use it in the Apple Watch. What’s not clear is if Masimo’s patent infringement claims are valid.

Reuters reported in September of this year that the U.S. Patent Office had invalidated several of the patents held by Masimo and subject to this ongoing litigation.

But this wasn’t the only prong of Masimo’s attack, and the U.S. International Trade Commission has decided to implement an import ban on the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2.

While the start date of the ITC ban hasn’t been announced, the 60-day Presidential Review Period runs out on December 25. Apple is preemptively complying with the order.

So, you won’t be able to order the Apple Watch Series 9 starting at 3 p.m. ET on Thursday, December 21, from Apple’s website in the U.S. And Apple Store locations will stop selling them on December 24.

Only Apple is affected by the order for not selling these Apple Watch models after December 25, but all imports are halted at that time so that other retailers won’t be getting any new stock either.

The ITC ban hasn’t gone into effect yet, and it’s unclear if President Biden will veto the ITC’s ruling.

The last time an ITC ban was vetoed involved Apple and Biden, although he was Vice-President at the time, when President Obama vetoed a ban on the iPhone (via 9to5Mac).

Have any thoughts on this? Drop us a line below in the comments, or carry the discussion to our Twitter or Facebook.

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The Apple Watch Series 9 is the latest wearable from the company, and it has remained the same in terms of design and features compared to its predecessor. Although, the new hand gesture feature is awesome. 

However, the latest report from Bloomberg states that the Apple Watch is going to be the primary focus of the company in 2024.

We already know about Apple’s plan to redesign the Apple Watch for its tenth anniversary, along with the new health features, and the latest report states the very same thing.

Apple’s new health features for the 2024 Apple Watches 

According to the report, there will be at least one Apple Watch model in 2024 with a new design. 

The report further states that there will be two new additions to the health feature – hypertension detection and sleep apnea detection.

The smartwatch will detect the onset symptoms and suggest users go for follow-ups to get further tested for these conditions. 

Interestingly, we have already seen these features on the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 and Galaxy Watch 6; however, they are limited to a few regions only. 

While Samsung’s Galaxy Watch can monitor blood pressure, it is a manual process that requires time for calibration and testing. Unfortunately, the watch doesn’t do this automatically and cannot detect any change in patterns over time.

On the other hand, the sleep apnea detection feature works better and detects the same by monitoring the blood oxygen levels during sleep automatically.

So, it all comes down to Apple’s implementation. While we are not sure about Apple plans, we are pretty sure the company will limit the new features to the 2024 watches in the classic Apple way.

Have any thoughts on this? Drop us a line below in the comments, or carry the discussion to our Twitter or Facebook.

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Quick Answer: There’s no confirmed data yet, but the Apple Watch is expected to come out sometime in September, usually the second week of the month.

Much like its flagship iPhones, Apple tends to release a new Apple Watch model every year. The company has released a new model every year since 2015 when the original Watch came out.

2024 seems to be no different, and it’s safe to assume that Apple will stick to its usual schedule with the next wearable.

After all, the company launched the Apple Watch Ultra last year. We’ll surely see some of the new features found in that model added to the Series 9 in 2024.

Apple Watch Series 9 release date

Short answer: The Apple Watch Series 9 was announced on September 12, 2023, and it became available in stores starting on September 22, 2023

Every single Apple Watch so far has been announced in September, except for the original, which saw its release in April 2015.

Apple has released the wearable alongside that year’s iPhone range, except for 2020, when the iPhone wasn’t announced until the month after.

Apple Watch Series 9

The Apple Watch Series 9 is set to redefine smartwatches with its advanced features. It boasts a new optical heart rate sensor for enhanced health tracking, a faster and more efficient S9 processor for seamless performance, and a mini-LED display for a vibrant viewing experience.

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When do new Apple Watches come out?

As to when in September, we have a couple of reference dates to go by. Apple almost always has its iPhone and Apple Watch event on the second Tuesday of September. Sometimes, it has been on the second Wednesday.

So, if we had to put all the chips on the table, we would put our bet on the second week of September. But who knows, that could change, and it’s ultimately Apple’s decision.

Of course, this Series 10 release date may not be accurate. Delays are always possible, and even if the wearable is announced, we might have to wait to be able to order one.

READ MORE: How to share an Apple TV+ subscription with family & friends

Last year, there was a little over a week gap between the announcement and release. As long as there aren’t any supply issues, we expect about the same time between the announcement and the official release date.

What to expect from the Apple Watch Series 10

The upcoming Apple Watch Series 10 is expected to bring even more enhancements and features that take full advantage of the device’s capabilities.

Apple’s trend of introducing new features with every update gives us a hint of what to expect. With the Series 9, we saw brighter displays, easier ways to find misplaced iPhones, and redesigned apps that fully utilize the screen.

WatchOS 10 even brought in enhanced cycling metrics, improved hiking features, and tools for mental health.

When does the new Apple Watch come out?

As for the Series 10, we can likely look forward to further advancements in these areas, along with the introduction of new functionalities.

Developers and enterprises can also expect to see additional device management and communication features, providing even more value to Apple’s smartwatch ecosystem.

So, as we eagerly await the arrival of the Apple Watch Series 10, the best advice is to stay tuned for updates from Apple. The company is known for its surprises, and we’re likely in for some exciting developments as we approach the anticipated release date.

Have any thoughts on this? Let us know down below in the comments, or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

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While the iPhone 15 models received multiple significant upgrades, they might not have been enough to get folks to switch from their older iPhones.

But there’s no need to be disappointed as Bloomberg journalist Mark Gurman says Apple is planning major redesign and hardware upgrades for 2024. 

What to expect from Apple in 2024

Well, to begin with, the iPhones are getting bigger in 2024. Currently, the vanilla iPhone 15 and 15 Pro feature a 6.1-inch screen, while the iPhone 15 Plus and Pro Max feature a more prominent 6.7-inch display. 

According to Gurman, the iPhone 16 Pro models are set to feature larger screens. 

While the renowned journalist didn’t confirm the exact screen sizes for the 16 Pro variants, analyst Ross Young previously claimed that the iPhone 16 Pro could adopt a 6.27-inch screen, with the iPhone 16 Pro Max getting a 6.86-inch display.

Additionally, Gurman’s latest newsletter didn’t fail to mention the rest of the devices in Apple’s portfolio. 

According to it, the 2024 Apple Watch Series X or Apple Watch X marks the 10th anniversary of the company’s smartwatch. So, Apple is planning a major redesign with new features like blood pressure monitoring. 

Next year, the seventh generation of iPad Pro is coming with a redesign, which will be the first in years. Also, the entire Apple MacBook lineup is set to get the new M3 chip. 

Apparently, Apple is also planning to enter the generative AI space in 2024. However, this is just a speculation at the moment. It was previously reported that Apple is working on Ajax, a large-language model, and an Apple GPT tool.

Have any thoughts on this? Drop us a line below in the comments, or carry the discussion to our Twitter or Facebook.

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And just like its predecessor, the Ultra 2 is designed with outdoor enthusiasts in mind, but it comes with a few upgrades that set it apart. The new S9 chip powers the Ultra 2, offering improved performance and introducing an intuitive “double tap” gesture.

This feature, enabled through the S9 chip’s neural engine, allows users to perform common actions like answering calls or playing music with a simple tap of the thumb and finger.

Apple says this new gesture is all about making your smartwatch experience smoother and more convenient.

Apple Watch Ultra 2

The Apple Watch Ultra 2 is a robust smartwatch designed for the active user. With a durable titanium case, dual-frequency GPS, and a battery life of up to 36 hours, it's built for endurance. Additional features include optical and electrical heart rate sensors, a blood oxygen sensor, and an accelerometer.

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The Ultra 2 also boasts a brighter display, clocking in at a whopping 3000 nits. That’s 50% brighter than the original Ultra, which means you’ll have no trouble checking your watch in direct sunlight.

And to make the most of this display, Apple has introduced the ‘Modular Ultra’ watch face.

This new feature provides additional data on the outer edge of the display, such as seconds, altitude, or depth, ensuring you have all the information you need right at your fingertips.

The Ultra 2 isn’t just about flashy features. It’s also committed to fitness and outdoor activities

The watch offers expanded maximum and minimum altitude tracking, ANT+ support for power meters and cycling sensors, and new map views in watchOS 10 with elevation data. Plus, the Oceanic+ app now supports freediving, which is sure to please the adventurers among us.

As for the battery life, it remains steady at 36 hours. But what’s really impressive is the Ultra 2’s commitment to sustainability.

The Alpine and Trail bands are made from 95% recycled titanium materials, demonstrating Apple’s ongoing commitment to the environment.

The Apple Watch Ultra 2 is available for pre-order now and will start shipping next week. It’s priced at $799, so it’s time to start saving if you want to get your hands on this rugged, feature-packed smartwatch.

Apple Watch Ultra 2

The Apple Watch Ultra 2 is a robust smartwatch designed for the active user. With a durable titanium case, dual-frequency GPS, and a battery life of up to 36 hours, it's built for endurance. Additional features include optical and electrical heart rate sensors, a blood oxygen sensor, and an accelerometer.

See at Apple

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