Apple’s recent layoffs affecting teams working on Apple Vision Pro were reportedly much broader than initially believed, with employees involved in visionOS, Siri integration, security, audio engineering, and testing among those impacted.
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reports that the cuts extended beyond the gaming and immersive video teams previously believed to have been the main focus of Apple’s latest restructuring.
The Apple Post reported last month that Apple had laid off dozens of employees connected to its Vision Products Group, with at least 60 positions reportedly affected as the company shifted more of its attention toward smart glasses.
Gurman subsequently reported that around 100 jobs had been eliminated, and now says the impact stretched across Vision Pro teams throughout Apple.
Employees working on device security, audio engineering, Siri integration, product testing and visionOS are all said to have been affected, suggesting the restructuring reaches considerably further into Apple’s spatial computing efforts than first understood.
The changes come as John Ternus takes over as Apple CEO, succeeding Tim Cook, with questions now being raised about how committed the company’s new chief executive will be to Vision Pro in the long term.
According to Gurman, employees within the Vision Pro organization have spent months attempting to convince Ternus to continue investing in the platform despite disappointing sales.
People who have discussed Vision Pro with Ternus reportedly say he has been skeptical about the headset from its early days, believing its bulky design and high price make it difficult for the product to attract a mainstream audience.
The reported concerns follow mounting signs that Apple has been reconsidering its strategy for spatial computing.
Earlier this year, The Apple Post reported that Apple had largely halted work on Vision Pro, with engineers previously assigned to the headset reportedly moved onto other projects, including Siri and artificial intelligence.
Apple has increasingly turned its attention toward smart glasses instead.
The company is reportedly developing Meta-style smart glasses for a potential 2027 launch, with the device expected to feature cameras and AI-powered features while adopting a much lighter and more conventional design than Vision Pro.
Interestingly, the latest layoffs do not exclusively affect technology intended for Vision Pro.
Gurman says visionOS is also being used as a foundation for Apple’s upcoming smart glasses, meaning some of the software affected by the restructuring is shared between the two product categories.
Ternus is reportedly still supportive of Apple’s smart glasses project, internally known as N50, which remains on track to launch next year.
Apple has already sacrificed other Vision products as it redirects resources toward the project. The Apple Post previously reported that Apple halted development of its rumored lower-cost “Apple Vision Air” to prioritize AI-powered smart glasses.
More recently, one of Apple’s suppliers was reported to be winding down work on displays intended for the lower-cost Vision headset, providing further evidence of Apple’s changing priorities.
However, Ternus’ commitment to head-worn products may ultimately depend on whether Apple can turn smart glasses into a successful mainstream product.
Gurman reports that the new CEO could be willing to walk away from head-worn devices as a category altogether if Apple’s products fail to gain sufficient traction with customers.
That could eventually have consequences for Apple’s planned successor to Vision Pro.
An extensively redesigned Vision Pro, reportedly known internally as N224, is still believed to be in development, although it is not expected to arrive before the end of 2028.
Apple’s approach to Vision Pro has changed considerably since the headset was first introduced. The company initially had ambitious plans to expand the Vision family with additional models, but disappointing demand for the $3,499 headset appears to have pushed Apple toward lighter and potentially more accessible wearable devices.