Masimo Corp. (NASDAQ:MASI) CEO Joe Kiani thinks Apple Watch users are better off without the blood oxygen monitoring feature now that Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) has disabled it on its latest smartwatches due to a patent dispute.
What Happened: Apple’s latest attempt to dodge an import ban on its latest Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 has drawn a snide remark from Kiani in an interview with Bloomberg TV.
Kiani thinks that the blood oxygen monitoring feature on the latest Apple Watches is not reliable.
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“Apple is masquerading what they are offering to consumers as a reliable, medical pulse oximeter, even though it is not,” Kiani said.
“I really feel wholeheartedly that consumers are better off without it.”
At the heart of the matter is the fact that the Apple Watch takes automatic readings of blood oxygen levels only twice a day. That is not sufficient, according to Kiani.
“Pulse oximetry is not useful unless it is a continuous monitor. That happens during sleep,” he explained, adding that there could be a “dangerous desaturation” while users are asleep, which could go undetected since Apple Watches don’t monitor it continuously.
Apple’s support page states that the Blood Oxygen app takes measurements “periodically,” not continuously, even when background measurements are enabled.
Apple has not taken approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration either to certify it as a medical device. “Blood Oxygen app measurements are not intended for medical use,” Apple says in a note on its support pages.
Why It Matters: Apple touted blood oxygen monitoring as one of the highlights of its latest smartwatches, the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2. The two smartwatches were launched alongside the iPhone 15 series during an event in September 2023.
After sidestepping the import ban in the U.S. by disabling the blood oxygen monitoring feature, Apple has once again put its new smartwatches on sale.
However, third-party retailers with old stock with this feature enabled can still sell them until stocks run out.
Masimo is seeking $3 per Apple Watch sold, while Apple claims that its W1 watch violates several of its design patents.
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