Apple Restarts Sales of Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 in the US

The Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 are once again available at Apple Stores in the US starting today, with availability to widen by Saturday.

Sareena Dayaram Senior Editor

Sareena is a senior editor for CNET covering the mobile beat including device reviews. She is a seasoned multimedia journalist with more than a decade's worth of experience producing stories for television and digital publications across Asia's financial capitals including Singapore, Hong Kong, and Mumbai. Prior to CNET, Sareena worked at CNN as a news writer and Reuters as a producer.

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Sareena Dayaram

Dec. 28, 2023 9:41 a.m. PT

2 min read

The Apple Watch Series 9 on a yellow background — The Apple Watch Series 9
Lisa Eadicicco/CNET

Apple said Wednesday that it will immediately resume in-store US sales of its latest smartwatches, the Apple Watch Series 9 and the Ultra 2, after pausing the sales as the result of a patent dispute.

"We are thrilled to return the full Apple Watch lineup to customers in time for the new year," the company said in a statement. Apple has resumed selling both the Watch Series 9 and the Ultra 2 on its website Thursday.

The announcement comes after a US appeals court temporarily lifted an import ban on those Apple Watch models as it assesses Apple's request to suspend the ban while a patent dispute winds its way through the legal system. Apple says the US appeals court will hear the company's motion for a stay as early as Jan. 15.

Earlier this week, Apple was forced to stop US sales and imports of the watches, some of its most lucrative consumer products, because of an ongoing legal battle with health tech company Masimo. The dispute centers on a blood oxygen detection feature in those watches.

Soon after the ban took effect, Apple filed an emergency appeal saying the company would suffer "irreparable harm" if the ban, which was imposed by the International Trade Commission, stayed in place. The Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 are the company's newest and most advanced smartwatches, launched this year.

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Apple had preemptively paused online and in-store sales of the watches in anticipation of the US sales and import ban taking effect. On Monday, the White House decided not to overturn a US ITC ruling from October that backed a judge's ruling from January finding Apple had violated Masimo's patents in its blood oxygen sensing system. The order was under presidential review until Dec. 25 and became final on Dec. 26.

In addition to the appeal, Apple says it's "vigorously pursuing legal and technical options" to ensure that the company can continue selling the Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2. Those options include having submitted a proposed redesign for US Customs approval.