On December 27, 2023, the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 ban was put on pause thanks to a US appeals court. In a new statement, Apple has confirmed that its flagship Apple Watch models are available today from retail stores and will return to Apple.com by tomorrow at 12 p.m. PT.
Here’s Apple’s full statement:
“We are thrilled to return the full Apple Watch lineup to customers in time for the new year. Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2, including the blood oxygen feature, will become available for purchase again in the United States at Apple Stores starting today and from apple.com tomorrow by 12pm PT.”
Apple’s teams have worked tirelessly over many years to develop technology that empowers users with industry-leading health, wellness and safety features and we are pleased the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has stayed the exclusion order while it considers our request to stay the order pending our full appeal.”
Here’s a timeline for the Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2’s return to shelves:
Available from select Apple Stores today, with broader availability by Saturday, December 30.
From Apple’s website starting tomorrow, December 28, by 12 p.m. PT.
Apple also encourages customers to check in-store availability at apple.com once online sales have resumed.
Apple’s victory today puts the watch ban on hold until January 10. Apple has also submitted a software update that it believes will resolve the issue. The decision on whether or not that will satisfy the government is expected on January 12.
As Apple Stores across the United States start to close for the day, the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 sales halt is officially going into effect. Apple removed its flagship Apple Watches from its online store on Thursday, and now they’re also being removed from Apple Stores.
When Apple Stores reopen after Christmas on December 26, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 and Apple Watch Series 9 won’t be available.
Apple Watch sales ban: The latest news
The Apple Watch sales ban comes as part of a long-running patent dispute between Apple and the medical device company Masimo. The ITC ruled in October that the blood oxygen sensor in the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 infringes on two Masimo patents.
Following the ITC decision, the case was sent to the Biden administration for a 60-day Presidential Review Period. During this, President Biden could veto the ruling, but so far has chosen not to act. The Presidential Review Period officially ends after December 25, so it is still possible that President Biden will choose to intervene and veto the ITC decision at the last minute.
After December 25, Apple will be barred from importing or selling the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 in the United States. Apple made the decision to remove the devices from its website on December 21 and from Apple Stores after today as part of its efforts to “preemptively” comply with the ITC’s ruling.
Apple Watch no longer available from Apple Stores
Following the removal of the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 from Apple’s website on Friday, the two devices are also no longer available from Apple Stores. Most Apple Stores across the United States are closing at 6 p.m. local time on Sunday.
When Apple Stores reopen on December 26, the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 will not be available to purchase. As reported by Mark Gurman, Apple Stores have been sent new marketing materials that promote the Apple Watch SE, which remains available to buy because it lacks the blood oxygen sensor.
Apple Stores in the US have received new display signage for the Apple Watch: instead of showing the Ultra 2 and Series 9 like they do today, it’s just plain and says “Apple Watch” on it. Unless Biden administration steps in in next few days, the sales pause is happening. https://t.co/FmVc3OdsTk
Apple said that it will “continue to take all measures to return Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 to customers in the U.S. as soon as possible.”
Apple also said to 9to5Mac that it will file an appeal of the ITC’s final decision with the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit on December 26.
As it stands right now, there are no further details on how long the Apple Watch will be unavailable in the United States.
For now, the devices will remain available for purchase from other outlets, including Amazon and Best Buy. Once existing supply from those retailers is exhausted, however, they won’t be able to re-stock.
Apple Watch Ultra 2 has an identical physical design to the original Ultra and many of the core features and capabilities remain the same. But what sets them apart? Read along for a look at what’s different between Apple Watch Ultra 2 vs 1.
To be fair, the Pam “same thing” meme only applies to the exterior as there are a number of differences between the Ultra 2 and Ultra 1 when it comes to features, the SoC, and more.
But how meaningful those differences are in real-world use could end up feeling inconsequential for many people.
We’ll dig into all the nitty gritty details below. And to give the best perspective on the differences between all the recent models, we’ve included Apple Watch Ultra 2 vs 1 as well as Series 9 and 8 in all the charts.
Apple Watch Ultra 2 vs 1 and more
Processor, storage, more
Last year, Apple used the S8 64-bit dual-core processor in the Ultra and Series 8 which wasn’t that different from the S7 or S6 in the previous Apple Watches.
But with Series 9, Apple says the S9 SiP brings notable improvements across the CPU, GPU, and Neural Engine.
Apple didn’t share a specific measure of how much faster the CPU of the S9 is compared to S8, but it features 5.6 billion transistors – up 60% from S8.
For the S9 GPU, Apple says it’s 30% faster than the S8 and the Neural Engine is twice as fast.
Another benefit if you’re coming from a previous generation Apple Watch is a boost to 64GB of storage.
Case and display
Apple Watch Ultra 2 has the same 49mm case as its predecessor with an identical 410 x 502 display resolution. Apple says it’s 27% bigger than the display on Series 4-6/SE. However, now it’s 50% brighter at an impressive 3,000 nits.
Meanwhile, Apple Watch Series 9 carries on with the same sizes that launched with Apple Watch Series 7. That’s 45 and 41mm cases and a larger display that’s 20% bigger than Series 4-6/SE and 50% larger than the Series 3 display.
Apple Watch band compatibility
When it comes to bands, any of them designed for 49, 45, and 44mm Apple Watches will work with Apple Watch Ultra 2 and vice versa.
With no changes to the band connection, that means all previous and new bands work with Series 9 and all older Apple Watches.
Battery life and charging
A major change with Apple Watch Ultra 1 was the biggest battery ever for the lineup. That was 36 hours of standard battery life and up to 60 hours of extended use with Low Power mode.
While Apple Watch Ultra 2 delivers the same 36 hours of standard use, it can give up to 72 hours with Low Power mode.
Notably, the Low Power mode is also available for Apple Watch Series 4 and later and doubles the battery life from 18 to 36 hours.
First introduced with Apple Watch 7 and continued with Apple Watch Ultra 2 and Series 9 is 33% faster charging than Series 6 and earlier. That means going from 0-80% in 45 instead of around 60 minutes for the other models.
If you’re interested in using Apple Watch Ultra 2/Ultra, Series 9, 8, or 7 for sleep tracking, you also get 8 hours worth of use from an 8-minute charge.
Apple Watch Ultra 2 vs 1 – Key features
The main new features you get with Ultra 2 are:
Double tap gesture support
On-device Siri with health access
Precision finding for iPhone
While the new Double Tap feature for Apple Watch Ultra 2 and Series 9 is neat, it turns out a similar capability is available for Series 3 and later.
Price
Apple Watch Ultra 2 is priced from $799 (Apple and more)
Series 9 starts from $399/$429 and up (Apple and more)
Apple Watch Ultra 2 vs Ultra 1 wrap-up
While Apple Watch Ultra 2 is an incredible wearable, it’s probably not different enough to be enticing for those who already have the predecessor.
However, if you’re thinking of upgrading from an Apple Watch Series 8 or earlier that may be a different story. You get a larger display, on-device Siri, the longest battery life in an Apple Watch, all of the latest and greatest health features, Action button, Double Tap gesture, and more.
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