Apple Blood Oxygen Feature Workaround Sparks Fresh Masimo Lawsuit

[diego.caraballo]

Bad move if Apple needs to revert course.
They would have to push a new update, internet will go crazy “don’t update or you will lose the sensor reading again” and lot of people (even not affected) will stop updating their devices.
Huge security risk.

 

[russell_314]

Once again, the only people that benefit from protracted lawsuits are the lawyers…

Pretty much. These lawsuits only screw the consumer.

 

[scrapesleon]

time to turn off auto update

 

[mihighil]

Masimo is putting people’s lives at risk. These health monitoring systems put on to a consumer product like an Apple Watch saves lives. OK.

This has to be a joke, right?

 

[FFMcGee]

So someone steals your life's work and your advice to them is to get a life. OK.

Yeah, they need to get a life where blood oxygen monitoring isn't part of its work.

 

[AppleTLDR]

Highly unlikely the pulse ox contributed to any lives being saved. EKG may have prevented some strokes.

Actually I have a relative for whom it played a vital role in extending their life. It identified that they were experiencing episodes of tachycardia. Basically their heart beat was consistently too fast leading to low blood oxygen. That trend observed over time was what lead to them getting help during a more extreme episode. They ended up on blood thinners.

Why this was so useful is that they had dementia. Originally we got the watch for them due to their risk of falls. They couldn’t take active readings easily and not without assistance. But the ability for the watch to do it passively in the background was how their condition was identified. Heck we never would have known to take blood oxygen readings. Or even know what this condition was. We hadn’t heard of it.

My family members case is more of an edge case. But if this technology helps even a small number of people, then it’s worth having. I wouldn’t go as far as calling Masimo a patent troll. I also don’t agree with companies allegedly stealing other peoples work. But I do know the impact of this feature is real and hopefully a solution is found to the dispute soon. Because it really can make a difference.

 

[GioGiusi]

I don't get it. If there wasn't some agreement being made behind the scenes with Massimo, then why did it take Apple 2 years to come up with the brilliant work around of....just show the results on iPhone only.

 

[DMG35]

Masimo is putting people’s lives at risk. These health monitoring systems put on to a consumer product like an Apple Watch saves lives. OK.

Oh jeez. So they are just supposed to give up their patents to Apple? Apple could settle this if they wanted to and pay them the significant amount of money they feel they are owed. Apple just doesn't want to. If the shoe was on the other foot you don't think Apple would be suing Masimo into bankruptcy? I can promise you they would be.

 

[WarmWinterHat]

Masimo a patent troll or does the name of the company the initials for "Mac App Store In My Opinion"?

Patent trolls don't produce anything, but they are biggest producer of hospital-use Sp02 sensors in the country. My company buys $1/2 million worth, per year, from them. Apple ripped off their work, plain and simple.

If Apple wants Masimo to give up their patents, Apple should be willing to do the same with their patents. I have no sympathy. Maybe they could pay them with some of that $20billion/year payola they get from Google, for doing absolutely nothing.

 

[AMTYVLE]

OMG...get over it already Missymo.

 

[bigluonei]

Apple derangement syndrome too!

 

[NightFox]

Everyone wants a piece of the Apple

Everyone wants to stop Apple stealing their licensable IP

 

[gigapocket1]

I think what’s more important for us to look at is the timing of this.. Apple releases this a month before new Apple Watches ship.
If the ITC reverses course, it’s only going to affect new watches being sold... They aren’t going to force Apple to remove the feature from watches currently in possession. This leads me to believe that Apple has the hardware and software change on the new watches coming out that completely works around the patents.
New Sensors are def coming this year.

 

[NightFox]

Masimo a patent troll or does the name of the company the initials for "Mac App Store In My Opinion"?

It's really easy to find out a few basic facts about stuff like this before posting

 

[richard13]

While I wouldn’t call Masimo a patent troll, they’ve reportedly asked for an absurd amount of money (like more than doubling their annual revenue absurd) and refused to negotiate on that number for a patent that many observers argue never should have been granted in the first place, given that pulse oximetry technology already existed long before Masimo’s patent.

That said, if what Masimo claims about the process is true (I.e. CBP is blatantly overstepping its authority) they should sue to get it overturned and I hope they win. We absolutely don’t want government breaking the law to do favors for the President’s “friends”/allies. But this is the first I’ve heard anyone mention that it might be the case, and think someone somewhere would have mentioned that before now (maybe they did and I missed it though).

Sanity enters the conversation.

 

[ignatius345]

I don't think this photo shows how it works in its current incarnation, right? When I check mine, there's no option to see the actual reading on the watch screen, so you have to go to the Health app on the phone. I gather this is the weird loophole they're using to offer this feature again.

 

[cocky jeremy]

Give it up, losers. Apple will just fight this and find workarounds until your patent expires. You're just wasting your own time and energy. Apple is Apple. At the end of the day, they're going to crush you.

 

[cocky jeremy]

Can’t Apple just buy Masimo? I know they have gobs of cash available.

They could, but fighting this until the patent expires is cheaper.

 

[ab2c4]

That red watch looked awesome. I miss having colorful watch color options. Lately they have been boring colors.

 

[Stromos]

Give it up, losers. Apple will just fight this and find workarounds until your patent expires. You're just wasting your own time and energy. Apple is Apple. At the end of the day, they're going to crush you.

So basically we’re going the Brawndo route and you’re like cool I liked that movie. You can’t stop Apple just let them do anything they have money.

 

[russell_314]

Godwin’s Law.

Maybe this is the answer. I just feel really bad for someone out there if everything they see comes back to one thing in their head. It would be like looking up in the sky thinking wow that cloud looks like ____. That would give me a mental breakdown. Maybe they will get some help.

 

[russell_314]

They could, but fighting this until the patent expires is cheaper.

True but it’s degrading their product

 

[Techwatcher]

So someone steals your life's work and your advice to them is to get a life. OK.

They're a patent troll. Don't get emotionally manipulated by those clowns.

 

[relaxedpanda]

They are not. They are actually selling a lot products

Masimo - Home

Masimo (NASDAQ: MASI) is a global medical technology company that develops and manufactures innovative noninvasive patient monitoring technologies, medical devices, and a wide array of sensors.

www.masimo.co.uk

Masimo has been making health devices MUCH longer than Apple, since 1989.

Those of you trying to dunk on Masimo right now must have completely forgotten (or are choosing to) why this lawsuit was so valid.

Apple got Masimo to work with them on the Apple Watch in private, and then decided to stop working with them after they shared all their internal info. Apple then started poaching people from the company, and then launched the Apple Watch.

It's extremely sad to see so many of you defend a multi-trillion dollar company that steals from hard working researchers, scientists, and engineers.

 

[DEMinSoCAL]

The feature is retained for those who had it before the ban, and it is no longer listed on the product page for people who purchased after the ban. So in no case are buyers of the watch put at risk by a feature they think they have.
You just don’t know what you’re talking about...

If I understand you, no one gained o2 sensor functionality by 18.6.1, it just changed how it was done if you had an AW with it enabled (on-watch vs on-iPhone)?