Apple has failed in a last-ditch attempt to delay a sales ban on the Apple Watch 9 and Ultra 2, which means that today’s the last day that Apple will be selling both of the smartwatches online in the US. Fortunately, many retailers will be able to plug the gap – for now.
The International Trade Commission (ITC) showed in a new filing that it had rejected Apple’s request to delay the ban pending the final results of an appeal hearing. This leaves Apple forced to go ahead with its plan to remove the Watch Series nine. and Ultra 2 from its shelves.
After 3 p. m. ET December 21, you will no longer be able to purchase Watch nine or Ultra 2 online at Apple stores. The last day for smartwatch pickup or drop-off will be December 24. After that, your only option will be the big retailers. .
Fortunately, most stores currently have enough stock (as you can see in the table below), but this may not last indefinitely: once the import ban goes into effect, those retail stores probably won’t be able to get more stock.
We’ve combined several lists of wearable devices into a few tables. If you’re interested, we suggest acting fast because once they’re gone, they’re gone. These platforms won’t get new inventory once they’re sold out.
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 likely won’t be a patch that disables blood oxygen monitoring or anything like that.
So what’s Apple’s plan for the future?Well, first of all, the company states that it will appeal the ruling to the Federal Circuit in hopes that it will be lifted.
Bloomberg recently reported that 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 fact that President Biden could simply veto the ban. He has the strength to do it. Whether or not it does so seems to depend on the resolve of U. S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters that Ambassador Tai “considers all points of this matter [and] has the authority to decide” the fate of Apple Watch models.
One day, the devices come back, though no one knows for sure at the moment.
Cesar Cadenas has been writing about the tech industry for several years now specializing in consumer electronics, entertainment devices, Windows, and the gaming industry. But he’s also passionate about smartphones, GPUs, and cybersecurity.
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