In less than two months, Apple announces another round of layoffs: Report

Apple has reportedly announced a second round of layoffs, this time affecting members of the audio-content team within its Fitness+ division.

According to a Bloomberg report, the latest cuts come less than two months after the company laid off employees across other teams. The move will affect staff working on the audio side of Fitness+, including features such as Time to Walk and Time to Run, which allow users to access guided audio workouts and stories through the Apple Watch without watching a video.

Slower releases

Fitness+ is Apple’s subscription-based workout service and has been positioned as a rival to services such as Peloton, particularly for Apple Watch users looking for guided exercise content.

The latest restructuring is expected to slow the release of new audio content, but Apple has no plans to discontinue the service, according to the report.

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The audio-only features, including Time to Walk and Time to Run, which feature narrated stories and workouts, are expected to see a slower release cadence. The main video catalogue, trainers and Fitness+ apps will continue to operate normally.

There have also been unverified reports that Apple could eventually bring some Fitness+ functions closer to its Health app.

Shift towards AI

The latest layoffs come after Apple cut more than 200 roles in August across teams working on Siri, Vision Pro and Intelligent Systems Experience, a unit within its software engineering organisation involved in some of the company’s AI features.

Nearly 100 of those roles were in the Vision Pro organisation. Apple said at the time that it was streamlining teams and shifting resources to accelerate its core artificial intelligence roadmap.

Apple has reportedly been supporting affected employees by offering transition assistance and allowing them to apply for open positions in other expanding business units.

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According to Bloomberg, the targeted cuts are part of a broader operational shift away from some niche hardware and service businesses, with resources being redirected towards Apple’s core AI projects and its broader “Intelligent Personal Hub” strategy.

Fitness+ costs

Fitness+ requires a steady stream of new content, which involves ongoing production costs. Subscriber churn can also affect the economics of a subscription service.

Reports have suggested that Apple may be looking at ways to reduce spending around Fitness+ and potentially integrate some of its functions more closely with the Health app.

Apple is also working on changes to its Health app, including video content designed to explain health topics and benchmarks. This has fuelled speculation over how Fitness+ could fit into the company’s wider health strategy.

Also read: Apple unveils new AI features with privacy focus at annual developers conference

The latest layoffs come days after Oracle announced major job cuts amid rising spending on AI infrastructure. Uber has also laid off more than 3,000 employees globally.

Apple has recently launched its flagship iPhone Duo, its first foldable iPhone, along with the iPhone 18 Pro, Apple Watch Series 12, Apple Watch Ultra 4 and AirPods 5.