Apple will reportedly provide a software update to the Apple Watch in the United States that disables the blood oxygen detection feature on the oximeter sensor. This is to prevent it from infringing Masimo Corp's oximeter patent which caused sales of the Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 to be banned in the United States at the end of last month.
This was revealed after Apple filed an appeal so that Apple Watch sales can continue after the end of the appeal period in the near future. The ITC found that Apple infringed on Masimo's patent which caused the importation of the Apple Watch to the US market to be banned. Apple is believed to be modifying the software for the oximeter and the algorithms used to avoid infringing Masimo's patents.
The United States is the main market for the Apple Watch. The sales hurdle imposed by ITC will certainly have an impact on smartwatches which hold more than 50% of the market in 2023.
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