Apple layoffs: iPhone maker begins fresh job cuts, second round in two months

Apple has conducted another round of layoffs in less than 2 months, impacting employees in the Fitness+ division. According to a Bloomberg report, the tech giant announced layoffs last week in the audio-content team within Fitness+, which works on features such as Time to Walk and Time to Run and it also provides guided audio workouts for Apple Watch users without requiring them to watch a video.

However, the report suggests that the layoffs do not mean that the features will be discontinued, but Apple plans to release new audio content less frequently going forward, potentially because the team has been reduced. Therefore, Fitness+ is continuing, but Apple may scale back how often it adds new audio content.

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Apple layoffs

Apple's latest round of layoffs is not limited to the Fitness+ division, as the company conducted a larger round of cuts in August. Reportedly, more than 200 employees were laid off by Apple in August, from teams across Siri, Vision Pro and Intelligent Systems Experience. It was highlighted that around 100 jobs were reportedly cut from the Vision Pro organisation, and another roughly 100 positions were eliminated across Siri and other software teams.

Apple said that its resturcting some teams as it changes how the business operates and develops new user experiences. It also plans to create new positions as part of this restructuring. However, a limited number of existing jobs will be eliminated.

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The recent layoffs suggest a broader connection between Apple’s Fitness+ service and its plans for the Health app. The report highlighted that Apple is exploring a more unified health and fitness experience across its services.
However, the report does not say Apple is discontinuing Fitness+.

The company is reportedly bringing new types of content, including videos explaining health-related topics and information around health benchmarks, to the Health app. Whereas Fitness+ already focuses on fitness and health content, some features could eventually be integrated more closely with the Health app.

As of now, the number of employees impacted in the Fitness+ divison in unknown, and Apple has not shared any official statement on the same,