The Return of Blood Oxygen for Apple Watch
Apple (MacRumors, Hacker News):
Apple will introduce a redesigned Blood Oxygen feature for some Apple Watch Series 9, Series 10, and Apple Watch Ultra 2 users through an iPhone and Apple Watch software update coming later today.
[…]
This update was enabled by a recent U.S. Customs ruling.
To get around the ban, blood oxygen data collected on the Watch will now be measured and calculated on the iPhone that it’s paired to. While users won’t be able to view the data on their wrist, they’ll be able to view it in the iPhone’s Health app under the Respiratory section.
If Apple was violating the patents before, I don’t see how using the same sensors but moving the calculation to a different device should make it not a violation. But that determination seems to be ongoing; what’s changed is the interim import ban.
I may be speculating, (I doubt it) but it sounds like a friends in high places who like gifts moment to me.
Previously:
- Apple Announces American Manufacturing Program
- Apple Watch Sales Paused Over Masimo Patent
- Masimo v. Apple
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Disgusting to see Apple embracing the obscene corruption. They’ve lost the plot
I have no solid info but it’s starting to sound like the patent wasn’t about the data collection, but about the presentation of data on a wrist device. Maybe eliminating that method and only showing it on the phone really is all it took. Or maybe whatever legal filing happened that all the news pieces are mentioning changed the circumstances which opened up the option to display data only on the phone.
Crocker is absolutely speculating. If this was a result of the paperweight, it would be more overt. Biden had the power to overturn the ITC ruling, presumably Trump does too. I am certain that he believes he does, anyway.
This is more subtle and seems more like playing the ridiculous software patent game. Maybe the patent is valid maybe it's not, doesn't seem too effective at either protecting its inventor's income nor benefitting the public.
@Lee and @bart I did a quick skim of the patents, and I don’t think this is about getting around them. The patents cover how the sensors are used and also specifically mention sending the data to a separate device such as a mobile phone for display.
