- Masimo, the company that sued Apple over patent infringement, has unveiled its own blood oxygen monitoring smartwatch called the Masimo Freedom.
- The Masimo Freedom is a health-focused device that can track blood oxygen levels, hydration index, respiration rate, pulse rate variability, pulse rate, steps, and detect falls.
- The smartwatch is currently in prototype stage and will be available for sale later this year at a price of $999.
Archive link: https://archive.ph/aOUXX
In the name of every medical professional out there:
Fuck Masimo. You piece of shit garbage company.
Masimo does strategically patent troll other companies to keep their monopoly on oxygen saturation technology, deliver a subpar product that is very likely designed with planned obsolescence (which actively endangers patients). It’s an absolute shit show.
Did they sue Samsung? My Galaxy Watch has an O2 sensor.
It’s more about the medical field - we use more precise equipment than can measure a bit more. And very likely Samsung has to pay somone even for the smartwatch version.
There are different types of O2 sensors.
Patent trolling Apple doesn’t seem like a winning move. Can they really sell a smartwatch without infringing on anything in Apple’s patent portfolio? The revenge will be swift and terrifying
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I feel like they’d have made more money by licensing their patent to Apple rather than trying to sell a watch for a ridiculous $999 price tag. I’m not saying they were wrong for their patent lawsuit, and it’s nice to see that small companies can still win, but I just don’t see this early product getting enough sales for them to profit.
I might be mistaken, but I think Apple started with a licensing deal and then walked back on it?
Googled and found this
Ahh, fair enough. Missed that bit
I’m definitely curious about the history here, since it seems like Apple would have easily been able to offer more than they can benefit here. Who did what and when? Who tried to compromise with what and who rejected it?
From the PR side, Apple seems reasonable and has a good explanation, but clearly the court did not find their arguments convincing
I don’t know if there are sources I’m not finding, but a lot of people here are very confidently stating as facts, things I don’t see any source for so may be based on irrational hatred of a consumer products company
Not a fan of Apple but the number of people who would benefit from being able to monitor blood oxygenation is more meaningful to me than Masimo’s ability to sell thousand dollar smartwatches with its patent technology. Would be great if somehow this patent was bought out and made public domain so people outside the upper middle class could have an affordable way to track their vitals.
Apple can easily pay to license the technology and utilise it, and has had multiple chances to over the years at reasonable prices.
This result is only because Apple is run by some absolute morons who were happy to try and steal the tech but got caught with their pants down.
As for making it available to upper middle class, there’s plenty of devices out there already for monitoring blood oxygenation for under $100.
Copyright and patent laws need to die.
Only idiots think that work wouldn’t get done without them.
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You should take a look at Withings. Uou have to like the analog retro look, but it has all thoses features (including ECG).
When you’re defending patents you have to demonstrate you’re developing your own products or licensing them and so you can sue for damages. At this price point this “prototype” is just a loophole so they can extort Apple.
You make it sound like they’re being assholes to Apple when in reality, Apple is the bad guy here. Apple was going to license the technology but instead tried to hire all the engineers and people who developed it and then make their own version in house. Genuinely just thought they could steal the tech and then out lawyer the smaller company.
In this case Apple clearly is in the wrong and is now fucking customers over because of its shitty practices.
Fun fact; there can be more than one greedy asshole corporation.
Yes I can see how the company suing another company that has stolen its tech, stolen its high level employees and then refuses to admit any fault or issue has absolutely no base to sue on.
I agree in general with your statement, but it’s completely wrong here. There is definitely a giant greedy asshole corporation here, and with the history that Apple was going to license it from them and didn’t have an issue previously I know which one it is.
Apple sucks for hiring in Mossimo’s engineering team and reinventing the wheel. Mossimo sucks for being a patent troll.
A patent troll is considered to be a company that just sits on patents and hopes to sue companies for profit primarily without having actual products.
Mossimo makes a tonne of products and has over a billion in revenue. It’s not a patent troll.
I spelled it wrong via mobile–it’s Masimo. Mossimo is a clothing brand.
ESH
I think the case is still developping, but I hate these laws that forbid employees from working at other companies. I thate to take Apple’s side, but I don’t think hiring the engineers was wrong.
Like you accummulate knowledge at your current company, and you’re not supposed to use it ever in any job? Bullshit. Masimo could have offered their knowlesge employees better salaries stock options so they stay, at the end of this case if Masimo wins, it’s the employees that will lose.
Anyone working in a specialized field will find it hard to be hired as new companies will be afraid of the same thing here.
Do… do you seriously think poaching employees to recreate technology to the point of literally infringing on a patent is justified, while then extolling the virtues of a theoretical free market which by definition enforces competition through strict regulation?
Man capitalism really does a number on the brain
I am saying that from an employee perspective, what is my reason to support Masimo? Unless I am a suck up for corporations, why would I even support Masimo. The way I see it, the more restriction a company has on its employees (ie you are forbidden from working at a competitor with your expertise) the less power the employees have.
How is this even an argument for capitalism? Just shouting capitalism does not earn you free points. Think it through, step by step, human-gpt.
My galaxy watch I bought many years ago has this same feature, is cheaper, and looks amazing. I got the “classic” model with the turning frame. It’s an outstanding watch even to this day. No lag, great battery, and very bright even in sunlight.
Watch 4? I got the non-classic and my battery sucks ass now. I’m looking at replacing the battery now
Pebble - $99
Pebble Steel - $149
Now Pebble is gone and Masimo is selling a $999 smartwatch.
Apple’s cheapest watch is $249.
All I want is a watch like the Pebble again. I don’t need color or all this extra health stuff.
No
I am very curious to see if this will be the first smartwatch that works with tattooed wrists. None of the health & security features have ever worked for me with any of the major brands.
Probably not, most of those sensors work by shining an LED light through the skin and monitoring reflection/scatter as a cheap form of photoplethysmography. Anything capable of absorbing that light, like the pigment used in tattoos, will prevent it from working correctly (at least out of the box, there may be some way to adjust for it but I do not think it would be very accurate).
An infrared sensor could work, depending on the ink type. Unfortunately those are more expensive.
Wear it on your ankle and make up a cool story about your criminal past.
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Not three-fiddly?
🤣🤣
