Apple shipping modified Watch Ultra 2 and Series 9 in the U.S.

Apple received a green signal from the Customs Department on Friday and started shipping modified Watch Ultra 2 and Watch Series 9 smartwatches in the U.S.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection has come to the conclusion that Apple can use modified Apple Watch models to bypass patent design infringement on Masimo’s technology, revealed a court filing on Monday.

The new changes are mostly related to the software side and Apple probably has removed this controversial feature from its health app via Software modifications.

U.S. International Trade Commission (IFC) barred Apple from importing its Series 9 and Ultra 2 smartwatches in the U.S. starting December 26, 2023.

The ban is a subsequent result of a lawsuit from Masimo, a medical equipment technology company. Masimo says that Apple has been infringing its patented blood oxygen measurement technology with its smartwatches. ITC also ruled in favor of Masimo and led to a ban on the iPhone maker.

However, Apple denied these claims, followed an appeal at the U.S. Court of Appeals, and won a pause on ITC’s ruling. In the meantime, Apple modified the Watch design of these two models.

Meanwhile, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman said that Apple also began to ship modified Apple Ultra 2 and Series 9 to retail stores in the U.S. However, the company may not promote the modifications among customers.

NEW: Apple has begun shipping modified Apple Watch Ultra 2 and Series 9 watches to retail stores in the US. Today, Masimo says the US Customs agency has approved an Apple software change that *removes* blood oxygen from the devices. https://t.co/YjnN7nAFtH

— Mark Gurman (@markgurman) January 15, 2024

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(source – CNBC)