Understanding the Aftermath through 8 Key Points
1. Tribunal Ruling and Administration Decision The US President Joe Biden’s administration has chosen not to veto a government tribunal’s ruling that bans the import of Apple Watches. This decision comes in response to a complaint from medical monitoring technology company Masimo, citing patent infringement related to blood-oxygen level reading technology.
2. Effective Ban Date The order prohibiting imports and sales of Apple Watches featuring the contested technology goes into effect immediately from Tuesday.
3. Impact on US Customers Examining how the Apple Watch ban will affect customers in the United States:
4. Out-of-Warranty Model Replacements Apple communicated to its customer service teams via a memo that out-of-warranty models, including those dating back to Apple Watch Series 6, will no longer be replaced by the company in the US.
5. Service Limitations Issues like a broken screen on these out-of-warranty models won’t be addressed through Apple’s replacement service. However, assistance with software-related problems, such as reinstalling the operating system, will still be provided.
6. Affected Apple Watch Models The decision impacts most new Apple Watches sold since 2020, including Series 6, 7, 8, and Ultra, as well as the current 9 and Ultra 2, all of which feature the blood oxygen function covered by the patents in question.
7. Exceptions for Warranty and Returns Customers who purchased watches before the ban and models still under warranty remain unaffected by the replacement prohibition. The standard warranty lasts one year, extendable with AppleCare.
8. Future Exchange and Sales Post-ban, Apple won’t facilitate exchanges for watches purchased before the ban during the usual return period. However, accessory replacements, such as bands, will still be allowed, and watches can be returned for a refund.
What’s Next After the Ban?
- The ban remains in effect until Apple secures a licensing agreement with Masimo or resolves the patent infringement issue.
- Apple retains the option to appeal the ban to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.
- The tech giant is actively developing a software update, aiming to address and mitigate the problem, providing a potential solution to the ongoing issue.
