Apple Resumes Sales of Apple Watches Following Temporary Ban Pause

Apple Resumes Sales of Apple Watches Following Temporary Ban Pause
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Highlights

After a brief hiatus due to a sales and import ban, Apple has recommenced selling its Series 9 and Ultra 2 watches.

Apple has lifted the suspension on selling its latest Apple Watch models, the Series 9 and Ultra 2, in select physical Apple stores. This decision, announced by Apple spokesperson Nikki Rothberg, is expected to extend to wider availability by Saturday, with online sales set to resume tomorrow at 3 PM ET.

The move to resume sales comes after a federal appeals court temporarily halted a sales and import ban encompassing both the Series 9 and Ultra 2 devices. The ban was imposed after the US International Trade Commission found Apple in violation of patents owned by medical device maker Masimo.

The appeals court granted Apple permission to continue selling its watches on a temporary basis while awaiting feedback on proposed modifications aimed at resolving the patent issues. The US Customs and Border Protection will rule on these changes on January 12th. If this proves unsuccessful, the court will consider deferring the ban until it can adjudicate on the underlying patent dispute, a process that could potentially postpone the ban for several months.

Nikki Rothberg expressed Apple's dedication to developing cutting-edge health, wellness, and safety features, stating, “Apple’s teams have worked tirelessly over many years to develop technology that empowers users with industry-leading health, wellness, and safety features, and we are pleased the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has stayed the exclusion order while it considers our request to stay the order pending our full appeal.”

Apple had temporarily ceased sales of the Series 9 and Ultra 2 watches online and in physical stores just before the ban took effect on December 26th. The ban specifically targeted devices equipped with a blood oxygen saturation sensor, a feature present in flagship watches since the Series 6. The lower-priced Apple Watch SE, lacking this feature, has remained available for purchase throughout the ban through third-party retailers, albeit with the looming threat of import restrictions.

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