Apple in trouble this holiday season?

Apple seems to be in trouble this holiday season after news emerged that it will cease the sale of its smartwatches through its own US stores ahead of Christmas following a patent infringement case setback, dealing a blow to the tech giant during the crucial sales season. The company announced a "pre-emptive" discontinuation of US sales for two of its latest Apple Watch models, the Series 9 and Ultra 2, starting on December 21 through its official website and post-December 24 in physical stores. This decision follows the US International Trade Commission's issuance of a "limited exclusion order" against the products in October, posing a potential import ban on the devices. A US judge had previously ruled in January that a prominent feature of Apple's latest watches, the blood oxygen sensor, infringed upon patents held by medical device maker Masimo. Apple's share price initially traded almost 2% lower as investors expressed concerns about the situation and the potential ramifications of such a ban. However, the price is attempting to recover while closing the gap and some solace may be found in the limited impact of this situation, confined to the US market. Nevertheless, it remains a disconcerting development that could trigger further movements in one of the most widely followed stocks at a time when we've seen growing uncertainty about its performance related to the sales of smartphones and its shift to alternative products like watches, accessories and from next year, the Vision Pro.