Apple Watch import ban temporarily stopped by U.S. appeals court
CNBCDec 16, 2023
Blood Oxygen Feature Removed From Apple Watch to Avoid Ban
Image copyright: Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images News via Getty Images
The Facts
Amid ongoing legal battles with medical device company Masimo, Apple has announced that beginning Thursday, it will remove the blood oxygen feature from its latest Apple Watches in order to avoid an import ban.
Two of Apple’s latest smartwatches were subjected to an import ban after the US International Trade Commission ruled that the devices’ blood- oxygen sensor infringed on Masimo’s patents. A US Court of Appeals issued a temporary stay in late December, allowing Apple to sell its watches for the last three weeks.
The Spin
Narrative A
The Federal Appeals Court made the right decision in not bending the knee to Apple and preserving the integrity of patent protection rights in the US. Apple thinks it can do whatever it wants by leveraging its massive corporate power and crushing smaller competitors. However, Masimo is not going down without a fight and is sticking up for the real innovators in technology. At this point, Apple is only relying on name recognition and brand equity to maintain its dominance.
Narrative B
Even in the face of a legal “loss,” Apple continues to come out on top and assert its status atop the tech mountain. Everyone knew that Apple could not be prevented from selling its iconic watch, and customers will always line up for the company’s products whether or not they contain certain niche features like a blood oxygen sensor. Masimo is trying to instigate a battle with Apple over an innocuous feature, but in the end, this whole saga only raised publicity for the Apple Watch and caused only a minor inconvenience for the tech giant.