Apple dealt major holiday season blow, halting US sales of latest Apple Watches
Apple announced it will stop selling its newest Apple Watch models in the United States due to losing a patent dispute with health technology company Masimo.
The tech giant said sales of the popular Apple Watch Series 9 and rugged Apple Watch Ultra 2 will halt on Dec. 21 on its website and Dec. 24 in retail stores.
The move comes after the U.S. International Trade Commission ruled that certain Apple Watches infringe on Masimo patents related to health monitoring technology.
While Apple is appealing the decision, it is complying by pulling the watches for the time being. This leaves Apple without availability of its highest-end and likely highest-demand smartwatch models during the crucial holiday shopping season.
The abrupt lost sales opportunity deals a blow to Apple as consumer spending slows. The company already warned supply chain woes would hamper sales this quarter. Apple bulls have looked towards growth potential for devices like the Apple Watch.
Now availability is at least temporarily constrained in Apple's home U.S. market. It remains to be seen how much this impacts Apple's bottom line heading into 2023. But it dampens enthusiasm around one of Apple's strongest new product lineups this year.