Apple plans to remove its blood-oxygen feature from its latest Apple Watch models in order to get around a U.S. ban of the devices if an appeal of the decision fails, according to Masimo Corp., which has been locked in a feud with the iPhone maker over patents related to the technology.
Mark Gurman for Bloomberg News:
Apple Inc. is planning to remove its blood-oxygen feature from its latest smartwatches — the Series 9 and Ultra 2 — to get around a US ban of the devices if an appeal of the decision fails.
The plan was disclosed Monday by Masimo Corp., which has been locked in a feud with Apple over patents related to the technology. It said that US Customs and Border Protection approved the move on Jan. 12. The agency “decided that Apple’s redesign falls outside the scope” of an import ban by the US International Trade Commission, signaling that the adjustment will let Apple keep its watches on the market.
Apple explained that the redesigned watches “definitively” do not contain the technology at issue, known as pulse oximetry, according to Masimo.
The dramatic step would probably only take place if Apple fails to win a longer stay from a federal appeals court. The company said Monday it expects the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit to rule on its motion for a stay for the entire appeal period as early as Tuesday. The company said it believes the period could last a year or more.
MacDailyNews Take: Very few consumers buy an Apple Watch for blood-oxygen sensing. It’s a nice-to-have feature that is not crucial to Apple Watch sales in any meaningful way.
See also: Apple wins as patent tribunal decision upheld, Masimo loses appeal – January 12, 2024
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Come on Apple, just make a deal with Masimo.
Wrong. Rewarding a blackmailer’s demands only leads to one thing.
The argument that very few people use the pulse oximeter misses the point that it’s become a key tool in remote patient monitoring. There are a whole new generation of apps to support patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, pneumonia, lung cancer, anemia, and heart failure. These apps use the SPO2 sensor.
I hope they get this worked out soon.
In 2022, Masimo’s total equity = 1.55B, Apple’s was 62.5B in 2023. The solution here is a hostile takeover.
Apple, you spent around 3.4B for Beats…Masimo should have been an acquisition, the moment they squawked.
Monetarily, sure. But I believe there are probably other factors involved, among of which may be licenses/agreements between Masimo and other medical companies as well as regulations in a whole new sector Apple has no experience, to untangle that makes such an acquisition a ‘poison-pill’.
Good point…I can only hope that Apple can ‘buy’ the legal talent needed to make such an acquisition possible.
Well, if Apple is eventually required to have an arm of the company registered to work as a medical devices OEM, it’ll just make Apple stronger, albeit create a ‘larger’ attack surface for all things medical. Better beef up that in-house legal team.
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