The future of a permanent ban on sales remains uncertain. Apple still has legal avenues left where it can appeal against it, but at the same time, the company also seems to be ready with an alternate route if things don’t go well. But the decision to ship its latest smartwatches without one of the prized wellness features is a major move. Apple first introduced a blood oxygen level measurement system on the Series 6 and has continued offering it on all subsequent smartwatches after working on the tech for nearly a decade.
Masimo alleges that Apple met the company about its work on wearable pulse oximetry tech even before the first generation Apple smartwatch was released. But nothing came out of that meeting. Later, the company allegedly poached Masimo’s talent and even used its tech without any due licensing deal or legal permit. On the other hand, Apple has rejected Masimo’s claims and has even scored legal victories over some of the objections made by the medical tech company.
It would be interesting to see whether the dispute will spill over to the next generation of Apple smartwatches. In late 2024, the Apple Watch X, aka Series, is rumored to get a fresh design and some new health features, including non-invasive blood sugar level analysis. So far, no mainstream rival such as Samsung has managed to crack the code and ship it commercially, despite years’ worth of research into miniaturizing and refining it.
