Apple has laid off employees working on its Vision Pro headset and its Siri digital assistant, according to a statement the company gave to Bloomberg. Apple said the changes are meant to evolve its business to deliver the best experiences for its users, and it indicated that new roles will be created. The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Verge, which published the report.
The job cuts affect teams tied to two of Apple鈥檚 most prominent consumer-facing products. The Vision Pro, which launched in early 2024, was Apple鈥檚 major push into what it calls spatial computing, but the device, priced at $3,499, does not appear to have been a major commercial success. The layoffs come as Apple continues to work on future hardware and software, though the full scope of the reductions has not been disclosed.
The Vision Pro has faced a mixed reception since its debut. Bloomberg reported in May that Apple is developing a slimmer and lighter headset as a successor to the current model, which was updated last year with an M5 chip. However, a few weeks after that report, Bloomberg also said Apple had suspended work with Samsung Display on a display for a more affordable entry-level XR machine, signaling a possible shift in its augmented and virtual reality strategy.
Despite the Vision Pro鈥檚 struggles, Apple is reportedly moving forward with a different kind of wearable. Following the success of Meta鈥檚 smart glasses, Apple is planning to make its own version of that product category. Bloomberg reported recently that Apple intends to announce its smart glasses at WWDC, typically a June event, in 2027, with a launch planned by the end of that year.
On the software side, Apple鈥檚 Siri is also undergoing a significant overhaul. The company unveiled a revamped, AI-powered version of Siri at this year鈥檚 WWDC, and that new assistant is scheduled to be available to the public in beta later this year. The layoffs in the Siri group come as Apple pushes to integrate more advanced artificial intelligence into its voice assistant.
For US consumers, the layoffs raise questions about the future of Apple鈥檚 high-end hardware ambitions and the pace of its AI assistant upgrades. The Vision Pro鈥檚 high price point and limited appeal have made it a niche product in the American market, where Meta鈥檚 cheaper glasses have gained more traction. Apple has not provided specific numbers on how many workers were let go or which locations were affected.
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