Apple Watch Sales and Repairs Halted Amidst Ban Threat

Apple has halted online sales of the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra Series 2 due to an ongoing patent dispute with medical device maker Masimo. As a result, out-of-warranty hardware repairs and whole unit replacements for Apple Watch Series 6 onward (except for the SE) are now unavailable. Customers under warranty or AppleCare Plus are not affected. Apple's ban on importing more Apple Watch devices until the patent dispute is resolved may lead to dwindling supply in third-party retailers. The dispute revolves around the SpO2 sensor, and Apple is working on a software update to address the issue.