Apple Watch Blood Oxygen feature isn't returning anytime soon as company fails in audacious court bid to get ban lifted

Trending 3 weeks ago
Apple Watch showing humor oxygen monitoring
(Image credit: Future)

Apple has been awarded nan paltry sum of $250 successful damages aft a tribunal successful nan US ruled that wearable tech rival Masimo infringed connected 2 of its smartwatch creation patents. However, Apple has grounded successful its grander bid to effort and people a intends to overturn nan prohibition connected its humor oxygen characteristic successful nan US.

As reported by Reuters, Apple took Masimo to tribunal complete its W1 and Freedom smartwatches, models which Apple claims willfully break its patented smartwatch designs. It's portion of a overmuch bigger intelligence spot spat betwixt nan companies that yet led to a prohibition connected nan humor oxygen feature, which tin nary longer beryllium shipped connected nan best Apple Watches successful nan US arsenic a result.

New models sold successful nan US, including nan Apple Watch Series 10 and Apple Watch Ultra 2, travel without nan humor oxygen characteristic arsenic a consequence of an International Trade Commission ruling, which recovered that Apple's ain humor oxygen tech infringed connected patents held by Masimo.

While Apple's astir caller ruling is simply a tick successful nan triumph column, nan suit really had thing to do pinch nan niche smartwatches Masimo sells, and everything to do pinch Apple trying to get that prohibition overturned. To that end, nan lawsuit hasn't been a occurrence for Apple, and is bad news for customers who proceed to miss retired connected nan important wellness feature.

Blood oxygen connected Apple Watch – still successful Limbo

Apple Watch Series 10 broadside by side.

The Series 10 successful nan US continues to vessel without humor oxygen monitoring. (Image credit: Future)

As noted by ip fray's Florian Mueller, a world-leading patent litigation expert, Apple's astir caller lawsuit against Masimo was "never was astir Masimo competing pinch Apple successful nan smartwatch market." The institution sells a negligible numbers of smartwatches, and only sells them domestically to comply pinch ITC regulations.

As Mueller explains, "What Apple really wanted was either to get an injunction truthful that it would person an statement for lifting Masimo’s import prohibition aliases astatine slightest a ineligible conflict complete whether Apple should get an injunction."

Apple was hoping its caller creation lawsuit would person fixed it ammunition to return backmost to a tribunal to thief it get an injunction to overturn nan Apple Watch humor oxygen ban.

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Without that ruling, Apple's options for getting nan prohibition overturned stay limited. However, location is still immoderate hope. As reported earlier this month, Masimo has a caller CEO, and that could unfastened nan doorway for a woody betwixt nan 2 companies.

As reported by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, nan erstwhile CEO Joe Kiani was a vocal professional of Apple, suggesting that nan caller CEO could beryllium much amicable. With nary ineligible reprieve successful show for Apple, a licensing woody betwixt nan 2 companies could beryllium nan only measurement humor oxygen returns to nan Apple Watch successful nan US.

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Stephen Warwick is TechRadar's Fitness & Wearables writer pinch astir a decade of acquisition covering technology, including 5 years arsenic nan News Editor of iMore. He's a keen fittingness enthusiast and is ne'er acold from nan section gym, Apple Watch astatine nan ready, to grounds his latest workout. Stephen has acquisition penning astir each facet of exertion including products, services, hardware, and software. He's covered breaking news and processing stories regarding proviso chains, patents and litigation, competition, authorities and lobbying, nan environment, and more. He's conducted interviews pinch manufacture experts successful a scope of fields including finance, litigation, security, and more. Outside of work, he's a monolithic tech and history buff pinch a passion for Rome Total War, reading, and music. 

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