As Apple Stores across the United States start to close for the day, the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 sales halt is officially going into effect. Apple removed its flagship Apple Watches from its online store on Thursday, and now they’re also being removed from Apple Stores.
When Apple Stores reopen after Christmas on December 26, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 and Apple Watch Series 9 won’t be available.
The sales prohibition on Apple Watch stems from an ongoing patent dispute with medical device company Masimo. In October, the International Trade Commission (ITC) determined that the blood oxygen sensor in the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 violates two Masimo patents.
Subsequent to the ITC’s ruling, the case entered a 60-day Presidential Review Period under the Biden administration.
During this period, President Biden had the authority to veto the decision but has refrained from doing so thus far. The official conclusion of the Presidential Review Period is December 25, and there remains the possibility of a last-minute intervention or veto by President Biden. As Apple Stores across
Post-December 25, Apple will face restrictions on importing or selling the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 in the United States. To comply with the ITC’s decision, Apple proactively removed these devices from its website on December 21 and will no longer offer them in Apple Stores after today.
After being removed from Apple’s website on Friday, the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 are now also unavailable from Apple Stores. The majority of Apple Stores in the United States are set to close at 6 p.m. local time on Sunday.
When Apple Stores reopen on December 26, the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 will not be offered for purchase. New marketing materials promoting the Apple Watch SE, which lacks the blood oxygen sensor, have been distributed to Apple Stores, as reported by Mark Gurman.
In response to the situation, Apple stated to 9to5Mac that it is committed to taking all necessary measures to return the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 to customers in the U.S. at the earliest opportunity. Apple also revealed plans to file an appeal of the International Trade Commission’s (ITC) final decision with the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit on December 26.
As of now, there is no specific information on how long the Apple Watch will be unavailable in the United States. While these devices remain accessible through other retailers like Amazon and Best Buy, they won’t be able to restock once their existing supplies are depleted due to the import and sales restrictions imposed by the ITC decision.