Apple Watch Series 9 and Watch Ultra 2 sale resume, court temporarily halts ban

Apple has restarted selling its Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 models in select retail locations across the United States. This move comes as an appeals court temporarily halted a ban on these devices, which was instigated by an ongoing patent infringement lawsuit.

According to a report from The Verge, Apple is gearing up for a broader rollout of these smartwatches in its stores by the weekend, with online sales expected to recommence on Thursday (US time). The appeals court granted Apple a temporary reprieve, allowing it to continue the sale of its latest watch models.

An Apple spokesperson expressed their satisfaction with the decision, stating, “We are pleased the US 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.”

The initial ban originated from the International Trade Commission’s (ITC) ruling, which Apple has since appealed. The ban was a response to a patent dispute involving Apple and medical device manufacturer Masimo. Apple argued in a court filing that keeping their latest smartwatches off the market would cause the company "irreparable harm" during the legal process.

The dispute with Masimo centers around the blood oxygen sensor technology (SpO2 sensor) used in the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2. In October, the ITC found that these models infringed on two of Masimo's patents, leading to the original import ban. This ruling is now subject to the ongoing legal challenge by Apple.