Apple will soon completely stop selling the Apple Watch 9 and Ultra 2 in the United States as a new ban takes place.
If you’re not familiar with the situation, Apple has been engrossed in a year-long patent battle with medical tech company Masimo over the blood oxygen sensor on its smartwatches. A US judge ruled that the tech giant infringed on Masimo’s patent back in January. Apple has tried to fight back, but the International Trade Commission (ITC) ruled against them, effectively setting a ban on the wearables.
Beginning today, December 21, the Apple Watch 9 and Ultra 2 will no longer be available for purchase in the company’s official store. The smartwatches will continue to be on sale at Apple Store locations until Christmas Eve, then they’ll be pulled off the shelves.
It will still be possible to buy the device through third-party retailers, however, keep in mind Apple will not be making any more units due to the ruling. So whatever is found online is all that’ll be left for the foreseeable future.
We’ve collected multiple listings for the wearables into a couple of tables. If you’re interested, we recommend acting fast because once they’re gone, they’re gone. These platforms will not receive new stock after they’re sold out.
Apple Watch 9
| Model | Retailer | Cost |
| Apple Watch 9 – 41mm | Amazon | $330 (in stock) |
| Apple Watch 9 – 45mm | Amazon | $360 (in stock) |
| Apple Watch 9 – 41mm | Target | $330 (in stock) |
| Apple Watch 9 – 45mm | Target | $360 (in stock) |
| Apple Watch 9 – 41mm | Best Buy | $330 (in stock) |
| Apple Watch 9 – 45mm | Best Buy | $360 (in stock) |
| Apple Watch 9 – 41mm GPS plus Cellular | Walmart | $430 (in stock) |
| Apple Watch 9 – 45mm GPS plus Cellular | Walmart | $460 (in stock) |
Apple Watch Ultra 2
| Retailer | Cost |
| Amazon | $750 (in stock) |
| Best Buy | $750 (in stock) |
| Target | $800 (in stock) |
| Walmart | $800 (in stock) |
These are the only two models affected by the ban. The Apple Watch SE lacks blood oxygen monitoring so it’s safe. Also, if you already own an Apple Watch 9, Ultra 2, or an older model, the tech will continue working as usual. There won’t be a patch that disables blood oxygen monitoring or anything like that.
The plan moving forward
So, what is Apple’s plan moving forward? Well first, the company says it will appeal the ruling to the Federal Circuit with the hope of getting it lifted. Bloomberg recently reported Apple is working on a software update that will tweak the feature so it can bypass the ban. Masimo CEO Joe Kiani told the publication the patent issue concerns hardware, not software so the patch won’t solve anything. But he is willing to work things out with them.
Some have raised the point that President Biden could veto the ban. He has the authority to do so. Whether or not he actually will seems to depend on what US Trade Representative Katherine Tai decides. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters Ambassador Tai is “considering all of the factors in this case [and] has the authority to decide” what happens to the Apple Watch models.
One day, the devices could come back, but no one knows for sure at the moment.
Be sure to check out TechRadar’s list on the best Apple Watches for 2023.
