Apple said Wednesday it’ll immediately resume in-store sales of its latest smartwatches, the Apple Watch Series 9 and the Ultra 2, in the United States.
“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 said it will also return to selling those watches on its website starting Thursday at noon PT.
This 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 as a patent dispute winds it 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 some of its most lucrative consumer products as a consequence of an ongoing legal battle with a health tech company, Masimo, over a blood oxygen detection feature in those watches.
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Soon after the ban took effect, Apple filed an emergency appeal motion saying the company will suffer “irreparable harm” if the ban, which was imposed by the International Trade Commission, stays in place. The Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 are the Apple’s newest and most advanced smartwatches, launched only this year.
Apple pre-emptively paused sales online and in-store sales of its Watch 9 Series and Watch Ultra 2, in anticipation of the US sales and import ban taking effect. On Monday, the White House decided not to overturn a previous US International Trade Comission ruling from October, backing a judge’s ruling from January that found Apple had violated Masimo’s patents in its blood oxygen sensing sytem. 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 to provide consumers with the Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2. Those options included having submitted a proposed redesigned Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 for US Customs approval.
