Apple has decided to remove the blood oxygen feature from smartwatches in order to avoid an import prohibition.
This is coming after some of Apple’s smartwatches were been the subject of a patent dispute with medtech company Masimo.
According to Bloomberg, the change will most likely take place only if Apple loses its appeal of the prohibition.
If Apple’s appeal of the import ban is unsuccessful, the company will remove blood oxygen functions from its Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2.
A medical device manufacturer, Masimo, claimed that some Apple Watch models infringe on its blood oxygen monitoring technology patents.
Masimo stated in a Monday filing that US Customs and Border Protection “decided that Apple’s redesign falls outside the scope” of the US International Trade Commission’s import restriction on the Series 9 and Ultra 2.
Masimo also allegedly stated in the filing that Apple informed US Customs and Border Protection that the redesigned watches “definitively do not contain pulse oximetry functionality.
“Apple’s claim that its redesigned watch does not contain pulse oximetry is a positive step towards accountability,” stated a Masimo spokesperson.
Apple confirmed that the blood oxygen feature is still available for the Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2. The business anticipates that the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit will rule as early as Tuesday on its motion for a stay for a full appeal period of likely at least a year.
The import prohibition on Apple’s most recent smartwatches went into force on December 26. The next day, the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit temporarily halted it, allowing Apple to resume sales of the watch models while it fights the ban.
