Apple has failed in a last-ditch attempt to delay a sales ban on the Apple Watch 9 and Ultra 2, which means that today's the last day that Apple will be selling both of the smartwatches online in the US. Fortunately, many retailers will be able to plug the gap – for now.
The ITC (International Trade Commission) confirmed in a new filing that it had rejected Apple's request to delay the ban while it awaits the outcome of an appeal hearing. That means Apple will be forced to go ahead with its plan to pull the Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 from its shelves.
After 3pm ET on December 21 you won't be able to buy the Watch 9 or Ultra 2 online from Apple Stores. The final day for pickup or delivery of the smartwatches will be December 24 – after that, your only option will be the major retailers.
Fortunately, most retailers currently have plenty of stock (as you can see in the table below), but this won't last indefinitely – once the import ban kicks in, those stores will no longer be able to get new stock.
We’ve collected multiple listings for the wearables into a couple of tables. If you’re interested, we recommend acting fast because once they’re gone, they’re gone. These platforms will not receive new stock after they’re sold out.
Apple Watch 9
Apple Watch Ultra 2
These are the only two models affected by the ban. The Apple Watch SE lacks blood oxygen monitoring so it’s safe. Also, if you already own an Apple Watch 9, Ultra 2, or an older model, the tech will continue working as usual. There likely won’t be a patch that disables blood oxygen monitoring or anything like that.
What happens next?
So, what is Apple’s plan moving forward? Well first, the company says it will appeal the ruling to the Federal Circuit with the hope of getting it lifted.
Bloomberg recently reported that Apple is working on a software update that will tweak the feature so it can bypass the ban. Masimo CEO Joe Kiani told the publication the patent issue concerns hardware, not software so the patch won’t solve anything. But he is willing to work things out with them.
Some have raised the point that President Biden could veto the ban. He has the authority to do so. Whether or not he actually will seems to depend on what US Trade Representative Katherine Tai decides. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters Ambassador Tai is “considering all of the factors in this case [and] has the authority to decide” what happens to the Apple Watch models.
One day, the devices could come back, but no one knows for sure at the moment.
