Apple Watch's Health Tech Takes a Hit: Blood Oxygen Feature Halted in U.S.
Krissy Vann | Host, All Things Fitness and Wellness
In September 2020, Apple Inc. introduced a significant health feature in its Apple Watch Series 6 - the capability to measure blood oxygen saturation (SpO2). This feature marked a step forward in wearable health technology, offering users insights into their overall fitness and wellness. Blood oxygen saturation is a vital health metric, indicating the percentage of oxygen carried by red blood cells from the lungs to the rest of the body, and how well this oxygenated blood is delivered.
The Apple Watch Series achieves this through a sophisticated Blood Oxygen sensor. This sensor uses a combination of green, red, and infrared LEDs, along with four photodiodes on the back crystal of the watch, to measure light reflected back from the blood. An advanced custom algorithm within the Blood Oxygen app analyzes these measurements, providing SpO2 readings between 70% and 100%. Users can take on-demand measurements when still, and the watch also records periodic background measurements, including during sleep. All collected data is accessible in the Health app, allowing users to track and understand changes in their blood oxygen levels over time.
However, this innovative feature has encountered a significant legal hurdle in the United States. Following a patent dispute with Masimo Corp., Apple Inc. announced that it would begin selling versions of its Series 9 and Ultra 2 watches in the U.S. without the active blood oxygen feature. This change, effective from the sale date of the modified models in Apple retail outlets and online store, means that while the blood oxygen monitoring tool will still be included in these new models, it will not be functional.
This legal setback doesn't affect Apple Watches sold outside the U.S., where the blood oxygen feature remains available. Additionally, Apple Watches purchased prior to this change will retain their blood oxygen monitoring capabilities. The ongoing case, Apple Inc. v. ITC (24-1285), in the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, highlights the complex intersection of technological innovation and intellectual property rights, impacting the availability of health-related features in consumer electronics.
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