Apple resumed sales of its latest smartwatches on Thursday, a day after a federal appeals court temporarily reinstated an earlier ban on their import and sale in the United States.
But the fate of the watches will ultimately depend on how an ongoing legal battle plays out in federal court over the next few weeks.
The company stopped sales of the Apple Watch Series 9 and Watch Ultra 2 at its flagship stores on December 21 and at retail locations on Christmas Eve. The pause is the result of a patent case that Apple lost in October.
The decision in that case became final on Tuesday, when President Biden’s administration declined to step in and overturn it. But on Wednesday, a federal appeals court ordered the government not to implement it “until further notice” while the court considers Apple’s appeal.
So can I buy an Apple Watch now?
Yes. The company said Wednesday that retail sales of the two new watches will resume at some Apple stores that day, and at more stores on Saturday.
Apple said online sales of the two watches will resume on its website at 12 pm Pacific, or 3 pm Eastern, on Thursday.
Tell me more about this court battle.
The case against Apple before the US International Trade Commission focuses on technology that some Apple watches use to detect a wearer’s pulse by measuring the percentage of oxygen in their blood.
The commission ruled in October that some models of Apple watches infringe on patents held by two California medical technology companies, Masimo and Cercacor Laboratories. It ordered Apple to stop selling the Apple Watch Series 9 and Watch Ultra 2 after Christmas.
The Biden administration has 60 days to decide whether to veto the commission’s decision. On Tuesday, it said it had chose not tomaking the ruling part final.
But on Wednesday, the federal appeals court granted a new request from Apple to pause the implementation of the decision while the appeals process plays out. It gave the commission until January 10 to respond to Apple’s request for a further delay in implementing the ban.
Will Apple disable the watch I got for Christmas?
No, although the legal battle will ultimately determine whether sales, service and repair of Apple’s latest watches will continue in the long term.
The battle may hinge in part on a proposed redesign of the two watches that Apple has submitted to US customs authorities for approval.
Does this court battle apply to other Apple Watches?
The ban that was temporarily paused on Wednesday applied to several other models that use the same pulse-monitoring technology, including the Apple Watch Series 6, 7 and 8, and all Apple Watch Ultra models. But those models are currently not sold in Apple stores or on the company’s website. (The ban does not apply to the Apple Watch SE.)
What about international sales of these watches?
The decision only affected sales in the United States.
