Apple Is So Big, It’s Almost Eclipsing France’s Stock Market

Video games run the gamut from silly toys for babies to life-altering works of art, all of which make up an industry that rakes in billions of dollars a year. Of course, the endlessly consumptive nature of the business can’t help but produce controversy, and 2023 had its share of milestones.

Apple Inc., facing a ban on imports of its watches that generate billions in annual sales, is seeking alternate paths to overcome the patent-infringement loss that forced the most popular Apple Watch models off shelves over the holidays. The Cupertino, Calif.-based tech giant won a temporary reprieve from a federal appeals court Wednesday, two months after the US International Trade Commission ruled the smartwatches infringed patents held by medical-device maker Masimo Corp.—and one day after the device's US sales halted. The Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 returned to Apple's US retail stores, and will be available online by noon Pacific Time on Thursday, the company said.

At about 1 a.m. California time in 2013, a scientist emailed Apple Inc. Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook with an irresistible pitch. “I strongly believe that we can develop the new wave of technology that will make Apple the No. 1 brand in the medical, fitness and wellness market,” he wrote in the email, which was later included in legal documents. Some 10 hours after the message was sent, an Apple recruiter was in touch. And just weeks after that, the engineer was working at the tech company on a smartwatch with health sensors.

Apple Inc. won a ruling temporarily pausing a US International Trade Commission order banning sales of some of its smartwatches in the US while the company seeks a longer stay pending its appeal of the restriction.

Apple’s quest to have as much chip control as possible for a wide range of products is not going as the company anticipated. With its custom SoCs, industry watchers believe that the technology giant’s prowess in this area is unmatched, but when it comes to developing custom 5G modems and Wi-Fi chips, Apple is severely lagging behind its suppliers, Broadcom and Qualcomm. However, one report states that the company is expected to unveil its first Wi-Fi chips in 2025, and irrespective of how difficult this challenge has been, Broadcom would be the first to experience a significant financial blow.

As Apple Stores across the US closed on Sunday, December 24, it is with the knowledge that when they open once again on Boxing Day (stores remain closed on Christmas), December 26, they won't be able to sell the latest smartwatches — Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2. In October 2023, Apple lost a long-running patent dispute involving a SpO2 (blood oxygen) sensor which Masimo, a healthtech firm claimed to be theirs. As a result, the International Trade Commission banned Apple from selling products featuring this technology in the US.

It has hardly been an easy journey for Apple CEO Tim Cook ever since he succeeded Steve Jobs as the head of the now trillion-dollar company, but for all his efforts, the Chief Executive has been rewarded financially for it. According to the latest data, Cook is currently worth $2 billion and has a few million Apple shares to his name, which are equivalent to millions in monetary value.

Time and again, Apple Watches have been credited with saving the lives of the wearer by alerting them of potential health anomalies. Consequently, it has become one of the most crucial pieces of wearable technology that you can buy in recent years. Recently, Apple has come under heavy fire for a patent dispute with Masimo. This has resulted in a ban on the sale of Apple Watches in the US. However, this hasn't stopped the Cupertino-based tech giant from innovating. A recent report has suggested that the Apple Watch Series 10 might involve a major design overhaul that would render the old Apple Watch bands useless. Know about this latest development about the Apple Watch Series 10.

Yesterday, December 21, Apple lost a decisive appeal after the International Trade Commission refused to delay the ban on the sales of Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2. These two smartwatches were banned in the US after ITC ruled in favor of Masimo in the patent dispute involving a SpO2 (blood oxygen) sensor used by Apple. As per the ruling, Apple has now removed both of the products from its US online stores and they are no longer available to purchase. The smartwatches are still available in-store and through third-party retailers, but only till the existing stock lasts.

Apple Inc. is on the verge of pulling its most popular smartwatches from sale at its US physical and online stores to comply with a trade regulation ruling. And while other retailers can continue to sell the devices, Apple has told staffers it can't let people know.

Masimo Corp. Chief Executive Officer Joe Kiani, head of the medical device maker that has put Apple Inc.'s smartwatch on the brink of a US ban, said he'd be open to settling with the company. 

Apple Inc.'s plan to halt online sales of its smartwatch four days before Christmas to comply with a regulator's order shows that it's in a legal jam.