If you live in the US, your Apple Watch probably lacks blood oxygen monitoring. This is not because of Apple"s stinginess but the result of a legal battle between the iPhone maker and a company called Masimo, which already accused Apple of stealing its blood oxygen monitoring technology. While Apple ditched the feature from its wearables to avoid an import ban, it might soon return to Apple Watch devices in the US.
Masimo CEO Joe Kiani resigned last week, sparking Apple"s hopes for a potential deal over the blood oxygen monitoring technology. Kiani has been one of the biggest Apple critics in recent years and has even sued the tech giant over stolen technology. He also said he would not license the technology for Apple.
After winning in court, Kiani said in a statement to Bloomberg that the decision "affirms that even the largest and most powerful companies must respect the intellectual rights of American inventors and must deal with the consequences when they are caught infringing others" patents."
With Kiani"s departure from Masimo, Apple has a good chance to start negotiating with the health technology company and seek a licensing deal. Apple Watch devices have no shortage of health monitoring features. However, blood oxygen monitoring could further sweeten the pot for the customers and provide them with an extra feature for monitoring their health.
Masimo, founded in 1989 by Joe Kiani, claims to be "the inventors of modern pulse oximeters." Apple and Masimo started discussing a collaboration in 2013, two years before the launch of the first Apple Watch. Meanwhile, things soon went south after Apple hired Masimo"s Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Michael O"Reilly, in 2014.
Masimo accused Apple of using the meetings to identify key people within the company. The health technology firm later brought the case to the court, which could force Apple to ditch blood oxygen monitoring technology from the Apple Watch Series 9 and Watch Ultra 2.