Apple has reportedly carried out another round of layoffs, marking the company’s second reported job-cut exercise in less than two months. The latest cuts have affected a small number of employees working on Apple Fitness+, according to a Bloomberg report.
The layoffs reportedly took place last week and primarily involved members of the Fitness+ team responsible for audio content. This includes features such as Time to Walk and Time to Run, which provide guided workout experiences through audio rather than video.
While Apple is not reportedly planning to discontinue these features, the company could reduce how frequently new audio content is released.
Credits: India Today
Apple Fitness+ Team Faces Latest Layoffs
The latest job cuts are understood to have affected employees involved in producing audio content for Apple Fitness+. The service offers guided workouts and fitness experiences across Apple devices, with Time to Walk and Time to Run allowing Apple Watch users to follow audio-based sessions without having to watch a screen.
The reported changes could mean that Apple releases new episodes and audio workouts less frequently than before. However, there is currently no indication that Apple plans to shut down Fitness+ or remove its audio-based features.
The cuts come as Apple continues to assess how different parts of its business are organised and where resources should be allocated.
Fitness+ requires Apple to regularly produce new content to keep the service engaging for subscribers. Any reduction in the frequency of new releases could therefore represent a shift in how the company manages the service and its ongoing content-production requirements.
Apple Already Cut More Than 200 Jobs in August
The latest layoffs follow another reported round of job cuts in August, when Apple eliminated more than 200 positions across several teams.
Those cuts reportedly affected employees working on Siri, Vision Pro and the Intelligent Systems Experience group within Apple’s software engineering organisation. Around 100 positions were reportedly eliminated within the Vision Pro organisation, while roughly another 100 roles were affected across Siri and software-related teams.
At the time, Apple said it was realigning some teams as it worked to evolve its business and develop new experiences for users. The company also indicated that new positions would be created as part of the changes, meaning the restructuring did not necessarily represent a reduction across every area of the organisation.
The latest Fitness+ cuts suggest that Apple’s workforce adjustments are continuing beyond the teams directly involved in its artificial intelligence efforts.
Credits: The Economic Times
Fitness+ Layoffs Come Amid Apple’s Broader Health Push
The changes have also raised questions about the future direction of Fitness+ as Apple expands its focus on health and wellness.
Apple is reportedly working on changes to its Health app, including video content that could explain health topics and provide users with information about health benchmarks. That could create some overlap with the type of health and fitness content currently associated with Fitness+.
There has been speculation that Apple could eventually bring certain Fitness+ functions closer to the Health app. However, the latest report does not indicate that Apple is preparing to discontinue Fitness+.
Instead, the reported reduction in audio-content production could simply reflect a change in the service’s content strategy.
The layoffs also come amid a broader period of workforce restructuring across the technology and consumer sectors. Companies including Oracle, Uber and Adidas have announced or reported job cuts recently, highlighting how major businesses are continuing to reassess staffing and spending even while investing in new areas.
For Apple, the latest Fitness+ cuts add another layer to an ongoing reshaping of its workforce, with artificial intelligence, software, health and services all playing increasingly important roles in its broader strategy.