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Apple Pulls Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 Ahead of Expected U.S. Ban Over Patent Dispute

If you want to buy an Apple Watch Series 9 or an Apple Watch Ultra 2 in the U.S., your days are numbered.

The tech giant said that the two smartwatch models will no longer be available to order online as of December 21 at 3 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT, and Apple stores will no longer carry the models after December 24. You can also find these watches on Amazon HERE.

“A Presidential Review Period is in progress regarding an order from the U.S. International Trade Commission on a technical intellectual property dispute pertaining to Apple Watch devices containing the Blood Oxygen feature,” Apple said in a statement.

The news comes after the ITC ruled in October that Apple’s smartwatches infringed on patents owned by Masimo, a medical technology company. The company claims that Apple Watches violate its patents related to light-based technology for reading blood-oxygen levels.

During the 60-day review period, which ends on December 25, President Joe Biden could uphold or veto the ITC’s original ruling, but Apple said it’s “preemptively taking steps to comply” if the ruling is upheld.

“Apple strongly disagrees with the order and is pursuing a range of legal and technical options to ensure that Apple Watch is available to customers,” Apple said in a statement.

It’s unclear at this time what this means for device support for current Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 owners.

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