Apple wins patent lawsuit (and $250) from Masimo — but it won’t affect Apple Watch’s MIA blood oxygen feature

Close-up of an Apple Watch 10 on a user's wrist with the screen showing that the sleep apnea safety feature is switched on.

In late 2023, Apple received a small blow to its lucrative Christmas sales period thanks to the medical device manufacturer Masimo. The firm successfully blocked U.S. sales of the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2, via an International Trade Commission (ITC) ruling that the devices infringed on its patent for pulse oximetry.

Between December 21 and December 27, only the Apple Watch SE — which lacks the feature — was available to buy from Apple stores. But the company quickly compensated, by removing blood oxygen measurement from its flagship smartwatches sold new — a feature that’s still MIA on new devices to this day.