Apple had been oddly silent about the blood oxygen feature removed from its Apple Watch models sold in the US. Now, however, Reuters reports that Cupertino has just asked a US appeals court to overturn a tribunal decision that forced it to remove the blood oxygen technology from its Apple Watch models.
According to the report, Apple attorney Joseph Mueller told the court that the decision had “deprived millions of Apple Watch users” of this functionality. Meanwhile, Masimo’s lawyer argued that Apple was trying to “rewrite the law.”
The judges questioned “whether Masimo’s development of a competing smartwatch justified the ITC’s ruling,” as Apple claimed the ban wasn’t justifiable because the device in question was still “purely hypothetical.”
Now, the judges must decide whether to take up Apple’s appeal or let Masimo’s favorable ruling stand.
Apple Watch blood oxygen ban explained
In December 2023, Apple announced it might have to stop selling the Apple Watch Series 9 in the US due to a legal battle with Masimo. At the time, the US International Trade Commission ruled that Apple had infringed on a couple of Masimo’s blood oxygen patents.
Apple had hoped the Biden administration would intervene during the Presidential Review Period, but that expired on Christmas, leading the company to remove the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 from sale.
By mid-January 2024, the court denied Apple’s request, and the company was allowed to resume sales of these watches, but without the blood oxygen feature. Interestingly, if someone replaces their old Apple Watch in the US, they’ll also lose this feature.
At this point, Apple has two options: keep fighting in court, which it appears to be doing, or wait until 2028, when the patent expires and the feature could return to Apple Watches in the US.
Wrap up
BGR will keep you posted once we hear more about the judges’ decision. In the meantime, check out what’s expected for the Apple Watch Series 11 below.
