Technologies

Apple to Halt Sales of Its Newest Apple Watches. Here’s What to Know

Apple is pausing sales of the Series 9 and Ultra 2 in the US as part of an ongoing legal dispute. The Apple Watch SE is unaffected.

Apple will pause sales of its Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 smartwatches in the US this month as the result of an ongoing legal battle with health tech company Masimo.

The US International Trade Commission, the federal agency that handles trade-related mandates, previously issued an order that would prohibit Apple from importing the Series 9 and Ultra 2. The decision came after a US judge ruled in January that Apple infringed on Masimo patents related to the technology used in Apple’s blood oxygen sensing system. The order is currently under presidential review, but Apple is preemptively pausing sales in case the decision is upheld, the company said. The move was first reported by 9to5Mac on Monday, and Apple has since confirmed its decision to CNET.

The Apple Watch is one of Apple’s most important products, helping push the company’s wearables, home and accessories business to be its second-largest product category behind the iPhone. Apple has previously said the size of its wearables unit alone equals that of a Fortune 150 company.

Apple will stop selling the Series 9 and Ultra 2 through its website on Dec. 21, while Apple stores will stop selling the watches on Dec. 24.

«Apple’s teams work tirelessly to create products and services that empower users with industry-leading health, wellness and safety features,» the company said in a statement to CNET. «Apple strongly disagrees with the order and is pursuing a range of legal and technical options to ensure that [the] Apple Watch is available to customers.»

The company added that it will «continue to take all measures to return [the] Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 to customers in the US as soon as possible,» if the order stands.

Apple’s pause of Apple Watch sales comes during the critical holiday shopping season. Smartwatches were among the top products sold during the Black Friday period, according to holiday shopping data from Adobe.

When the judge’s ruling was made in January, Masimo CEO Joe Kiani said the decision «should help restore fairness in the market.»

Here’s what to know about Apple’s pause in sales of the Series 9 and Ultra 2. This story will be updated as we receive more information.

When will Apple stop selling the Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2?

Apple will stop selling the Series 9 and Ultra 2 online at noon PT (3 p.m. ET) on Dec. 21, according to Apple. The company said the last day for the pickup and delivery of online orders, as well as in-store sales, will be end of day Dec. 24.

Can I still buy the Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 from other retailers?

The order affects sales of the Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 through Apple specifically. But 9to5Mac points out that the order prohibits Apple from importing these watches and selling them to resellers, which means they may only be available through other retailers for a limited time.

However, the order only applies to sales in the US, meaning you should still be able to purchase the Series 9 and Ultra 2 abroad.

Best Buy told CNET it will continue selling the Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 in the US after Dec. 25 even if the order stands.

Which Apple Watch models are affected?

The Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 are the only models affected. Since the legal dispute involves the blood oxygen sensing tech used in the Apple Watch, the Apple Watch SE will continue to be sold as usual. The Apple Watch SE is the lower-end model in Apple’s lineup, meaning it’s missing some health tracking features like blood oxygen sensing and the ability to take an ECG.

Current Apple Watches with blood oxygen monitoring, which includes any non-SE models starting with the Series 6, also won’t be affected.

What is Masimo and why is Apple pausing sales?

Masimo is a medical technology company that creates professional and consumer health products, including a smartwatch called the Masimo W1. The sales pause is the latest development in an ongoing legal dispute between Apple and Masimo, in which the latter accused Apple of infringing on its pulse oximeter patents.

What happens next?

The presidential review period ends on Dec. 25, so we’re expecting to learn more about whether the import ban will stand after that deadline. Apple also plans to appeal the ITC’s decision to the federal circuit, the company said.

It’s rare for an order like this to be vetoed, said Rochelle Dreyfuss, professor of law emerita at the New York University School of Law. But it’s happened before, specifically in 2013 when the Obama administration vetoed a ban that would have blocked the sale of certain older iPhone and iPad models in the US after the ITC found that Apple had infringed on Samsung patents.

The Apple Watch is a health product, which could work in Apple’s favor when it comes to the presidential review process, Dreyfuss said. But there are also plenty of other products that offer blood oxygen monitoring, which is the specific function at the heart of the legal dispute.

«Are there other industries that provide exactly the same service? So can Americans actually get that product?» she said. «That’s something that the industry has already decided against Apple. … So this would be the president sort of interfering with that decision,» she added, referring to if the Biden administration were to veto the ITC decision.

If I can’t buy an Apple Watch Series 9 or Ultra 2, what are my alternatives?

It’s worth waiting to see what happens after the presidential review process before making any decisions. Those with an iPhone who just want a smartwatch for tracking activity, workouts and sleep should consider the $249 Apple Watch SE. While that watch lacks ECG and blood oxygen monitoring, it can still provide notifications for high and low heart rates and irregular heart rhythms.

The Apple Watch SE is the best choice for those who are most comfortable in Apple’s ecosystem, but there are also other options that work across iPhone and Android, like the Fitbit Versa 4 and Garmin Venu 3.

Those who are looking to monitor blood oxygen levels from home specifically should consider buying a standalone pulse oximeter, said Jennifer Schrack, professor in the Department of Epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

«Consumer wearables are a great supplemental way for people stay informed about their health, but they are subject to error,» Schrack said over email. «It is important to remember that they are measuring blood oxygen using PPG sensors, which can be affected by things like skin tone.»

But again, if your heart is set on the Series 9 or Ultra 2, and you aren’t in a position to buy one right now, it’s worth waiting to see whether the ITC’s order stands before making a decision.

Technologies

Cloudflare Says Winter Olympics Cybersecurity Is at Risk in Spat With Italian Regulators

But Cloudflare’s global head of policy tells CNET the company is open to an agreement with Italy.

The CEO of the networking company Cloudflare is lashing out at Italy in response to regulatory anti-piracy fines, threatening to withdraw from the country and potentially the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Don’t miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source.

Italy announced on Jan. 8 that it had issued a fine of 14.2 million euros (approximately $16.5 million) against Cloudflare for failing to block access to pirated content. Soon after that, Cloudflare’s CEO Matthew Prince took to X to call out the fines, describing Cloudflare’s decision not to comply as a fight over censorship. Prince said that complying with Italy’s demands under its Piracy Shield policies would affect content globally.

Italy’s Piracy Shield is a program implemented by the country’s telecommunications regulator, AGCOM. In order to cut down on piracy in the country, such as hosting illegal streams of sporting events, the program allows IP holders to report content violations to a rapid-response automated system. However, some have complained that the 30-minute window given is not enough time for ISPs to properly vet complains, and is resulting in legitimate, non-pirated content being blocked as well.

«In other words, Italy insists a shadowy, European media cabal should be able to dictate what is and is not allowed online,» Prince said.

Yesterday a quasi-judicial body in Italy fined @Cloudflare $17 million for failing to go along with their scheme to censor the Internet. The scheme, which even the EU has called concerning, required us within a mere 30 minutes of notification to fully censor from the Internet any… pic.twitter.com/qZf9UKEAY5

— Matthew Prince 🌥 (@eastdakota) January 9, 2026

In his posts, Prince specifically mentioned the 30-minute timeframe that Italy requires for Cloudflare to disable access to suspected piracy traffic.

«We block pirate streams every time we find one,» he wrote. «We hate them.» But, he said, «we can’t put in place a system where a shadowy cabal can require us to remove GLOBALLY anything they don’t like on the internet within 30 minutes. That’s insane.»

Some of the proponents of Italy’s piracy rules are soccer teams that want to prevent the illegal streaming of their matches.

Prince went on to list steps his company might take, including pulling its cybersecurity service from the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics, removing Cloudflare servers from Italian cities and holding off on any plans to invest in the country. Prince also suggested he would get US government leaders involved, tagging Vice President JD Vance in his post. Prince also reposted a message addressed to the Italian prime minister, along with an article about Italy’s actions.

The Winter Olympics, scheduled to take place between Feb. 6 and Feb. 22 at sites across Lombardy and Northeast Italy, are a sensitive subject when it comes to cybersecurity, considering the potential that many may use VPN technology to view broadcasts of the event.

Door is open to an agreement, Cloudflare says

In an interview with CNET, a Cloudflare representative said that while the fine from Italy represents more than the company’s total revenue from the country, Cloudflare is still open to an agreement to avoid saying arrivederci to the country.

«We’re still evaluating, and we’re still open to working something out,» said Alyssa Starzak, Cloudflare’s deputy chief legal officer and global head of policy. «That would be a better solution. The hope is we can have some discussions for a more reasonable result.»

Starzak said the company has posted information and conducted outreach to Italian stakeholders about the ways Cloudflare is working to combat unauthorized streaming. But Italy’s law, she said, leaves no room for negotiation or nuance.

«It’s been very much a ‘You must do what we say’ » situation, she said.

Technologies

Transport Your Dungeons & Dragons Hero Off the Page With This Tabletop Gadget

At CES 2026, I found a couple ways that players and dungeon masters can use tech to upgrade their gameplaying experience.

As I walked around CES 2026, my eyes drifted over a poster awash with fantasy heroes, dastardly monsters and rolling dice — and I failed my saving throw to look away. If you’re a fellow tabletop gaming nerd, you might want to follow this pair of gadgets due out later this year.

Tabletop gaming continues to appeal to players with its deliberately analog gameplay, using miniatures, maps, dice and other physical trinkets to keep the focus on real-world play. The niche has grown in popularity over the decades, and a supporting industry has risen around it, offering third-party materials and accessories to enhance the experience. Digital gadgets and software have been added to this mix in recent years, and a new company, Arcalink, has its own supporting products for the avid Dungeons & Dragons player.

The first of Arcalink’s upcoming tabletop augmentations is a gadget that’s small but mighty. About the size of a film canister, the Arcalink One is a rectangular display around 2 to 3 inches long that’s covered in fantasy decorations. These can be swapped out, with one looking like a doorway in stone ruins and another appearing like a blue wizard’s portal (a third, not present but described to me, would look like a Mimic, the classic D&D monster that appears as a treasure chest to trick adventurers).

The Arcalink One’s screen shows a player’s avatar, and since it was built with the fantasy roleplaying game D&D in mind, animations for popular spells that can be triggered by voice commands. Tabletop RPGs encourage the theater of the mind, with players envisioning their characters through vocal descriptions, but the Arcalink One seems like a neat way for them to accessorize with a digital version of their hero (uploaded in JPG or MP4 file formats) that’s neither essential to play nor large enough to be obtrusive — a totemic treat to take from one game to another, swapping out character portraits by using the paired app.

The basilisk in the room is the price tag: the Arcalink One is expected to cost between $100 and $150, Arcalink founder Lizheng Liu told me. While the company hasn’t hashed out the final numbers, that first number is the device itself, and the high end of the range will bundle more of those clip-on decorations along with it.

Over $100 for an optional device is prohibitive for most tabletop players, but I imagine this would appeal to adventurers with deeper pockets who want a neat little plug-and-play gadget to bring more flair to the game table. Also, let’s not pretend tabletop fans aren’t already spending a good amount of money on accessories, dice and miniatures (looking at you, wargamers).

The company plans to let a select group of supporters start backing the Arcalink One in March or April, with a full Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign launching around June.

The second product, Arca Studio, is entirely digital: AI-powered software to help dungeon masters, the thankless gameplay managers who tell the story and give voice to their world’s denizens for their characters to experience. No, it’s not using generative AI to spit out campaign ideas — this AI software records your game sessions and will make it easy to go back and search for characters and plot events while planning ahead of your next game day.

Yes, this is a sort of gaming version of the AI summaries that productivity apps offer when, say, you’ve finished a video chat, but there are a few unique features tailored to tabletop gaming. One makes a word cloud grouping together recurring names and concepts in your campaign recordings to visualize the themes and frequent elements — great for dungeon masters to see which plot lines and adventure types they might be overusing to switch them up.

Arca Studio will launch around May or June and will be a subscription service, though Arcalink hasn’t decided on an expected monthly cost yet. It’s worth pointing out that anything could change in pricing or product features before these two products reach the market — and just like a good tabletop campaign, there might be some last-minute twists that change everything.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Tuesday, Jan. 13

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Jan. 13.

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? It features one of those annoying elements, where the puzzlemakers tie two clues together. In this case, you can’t really solve 4-Across and 7-Across separately, so you need to fill in the other answers to see these answers develop. Read on for all the answers. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.