At the beginning of the week we reported that Apple was going to have to stop selling its two best smartwatches at the end of the year due to an ongoing patent lawsuit. This, during the holiday season, is a real disaster for Tim Cook’s company.
The curious thing about the issue is that Apple prefers not to sell watches during this ban period, before potential customers get their hands on the smartwatch outside of their Apple Stores, whether they are physical or online stores.
According to Bloomberg, Apple employees are being instructed not to direct buyers to Best Buy, Walmart, and other retail outlets in the United States, where smartwatches will continue to be sold for the time being (until stocks run out).
Why would Apple do this?
There is no doubt that Apple is covering its back from a legal standpoint, but we cannot understand why Tim Cook’s company does not inform customers that there are still stores that have stock of the watches and that legally they can sell them until they run out of stock.
“Unfortunately, due to the ongoing legal matter, I cannot provide you with any information on where you can purchase the Apple Watch Series 9 or Ultra 2,” is what Apple Store employees tell customers who come asking for an Apple Watch Series 9 or Watch Ultra 2.
The origin of the ban comes from a company called Masimo, which has taken legal action against the blood oxygen sensor in the Apple Watch, claiming that it infringes their patents.
Therefore, the International Trade Commission (ITC) has ordered Apple to stop sales, pending a full investigation.
Assuming there is no presidential intervention between now and then, Apple will not sell the last two models of the Apple Watch in the United States starting on December 21st (online) and December 24th (in-store). However, the Apple Watch ban does not apply to other countries or third-party stores.
Of course, Apple is appealing the ITC’s decision and exploring the option of a software solution, but for now, it is losing a significant amount of revenue and can’t even direct potential smartwatch buyers to other stores… apparently.
