Is the Latest Apple Watch on Your Christmas Wishlist?

The reason behind the break-in online is a ruling by the International Trade Commission, which found that Apple had violated patents from Masimo a health-tech company, related to blood oxygen monitoring. Both of the watches that are being taken off the shelves have a feature that tracks the wearer's blood oxygen levels.

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Apple faces a ban on importing Apple Watches due to a conflict. This might lead to a loss of $300 to $400 million in sales. To address the problem with the blood oxygen monitor, Apple is working on software updates. Plus, they are planning to challenge the ruling by the ITC.

Apple has also announced that it will no longer replace out-of-warranty watches, including models going back to Apple Watch Series 6, which include the blood oxygen feature covered by the patents. Apple did not confirm whether it has any plans to put the latest watches back online soon.

In 20, Masimo sued Apple for patent infringement, alleging that Apple hired 25 of its engineers. Masimo's CEO is willing to settle, but if not, Apple's options are limited. Convincing customs that a software update solves the issue might help avoid hardware changes. However, the chance of President Biden rejecting the ruling seems slim.