Apple Ceases Sales Of Series 9, Ultra 2 Watches In The US, Won't Repair 'Out-Of-Warranty' Models Anymore

Before the ban related to Apple Inc.’s AAPL patent dispute with Masimo Corp. MISO came into effect, the tech giant discontinued sales of its latest Watch models, Series 9 and Ultra 2 in the United States.

What Happened: Ahead of the impending ban by the U.S. International Trade Commission or ITC, Apple has made a decisive move by stopping the online sale of Series 9 and Ultra 2 watches, leaving consumers unable to purchase these specific models through the company’s official website in the country, reported Bloomberg.  

The latest Apple Watch models were not on sale anymore on the company’s website around 3 p.m. Thursday in New York. Previously, Cupertino had announced that it would stop selling them at around 270 of its stores in the U.S. by Dec. 24.

See Also: Apple Developing External Flashlight For Future Apple Watches

Apple posted a notice on its website confirming the discontinuation of sales, saying it “no longer sells Apple Watch units in the United States with the ability to measure blood oxygen,” a feature integral to these latest versions.

However, the Apple Watch SE models, lacking this particular feature, remain available for purchase.

Simultaneously, the tech giant has made a significant decision regarding the repair services of out-of-warranty models going back to Apple Watch Series 6, including Series 9 and Ultra 2, which will no longer be eligible for repair by Apple.

This abrupt halt in repair services, affecting models equipped with the blood oxygen feature implicated in the patent dispute, has left customers with limited options for fixing hardware issues, the report noted. 

Why It’s Important: Earlier this week, it was reported that ITC had rejected Cupertino’s efforts to defer the import ban, which would potentially lead to sales suspension of the affected Watch models unless the White House intervenes, the report noted.

Apple’s decision to stop selling its latest watch models could potentially lead to a loss of up to $400 million, according to Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives. 

The watch ban will stay until Apple reaches a licensing agreement with Masimo, gets help from the government, or finds a way to solve the problem. 

While Apple has reportedly been trying to create a software update that they think will help fix the issue, Masimo CEO Joe Kiani previously stated that the tech giant is yet to make an attempt to settle the dispute. 

Photo via Shutterstock

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