The new year didn’t start well for the Apple Watch, as a patent dispute with medical technology company Masimo forced Apple to disable the blood oxygen sensor in every Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 it sells. For a company with so much money and power, that must hurt.
But that doesn’t mean you should stop buying Apple Watches — at least, according to CEO Tim Cook. In a new interview with CNBC (via AppleInsider), Cook said that people shouldn’t be put off throwing their money on the company’s smartwatches. As Apple’s CEO explained during the discussion, “There are many reasons to buy the watch even without the blood oxygen sensor.”
To be fair to Cook, he’s not entirely wrong. The Apple Watch is one of the best smartwatches in the world right now and has been for years, and is packed with class-leading features that put it above its rivals. Even without the now disabled monitor, it still has plenty to offer.
But it still seems unusual that the head of a major company like Apple feels the need to remind people why they should buy one of its most popular products. Perhaps Apple is feeling the pressure from its patent dispute with Masimo – and we can see why.
No end in sight
The above passage was not all that Cook had to say on the matter. When asked whether Apple would settle with Masimo and license its patented technology, Cook was unequivocal: “We are focused on appeal,” the CEO said, seemingly raising the possibility of an early end to the proceedings excluded. And that suggests the lawsuit could drag on for months or longer. With no end in sight, Apple’s blood oxygen monitor could be absent for quite some time.
That might weaken the appeal for some users. While Cook is right to say that there are many more excellent reasons to buy an Apple Watch, your options are now more limited if you want one specifically for the blood oxygen sensor.
However, that doesn’t mean it’s completely impossible to get an Apple Watch with a monitor anywhere. Apple may not be allowed to sell watches that include this feature, but third-party retailers like Amazon and Best Buy are free to continue trading existing stocks. So if you are really looking for this feature, you can just go there and pick one up.