Layoffs in the Apple Fitness+ team are just the beginning, according to a new report by Bloomberg. Apple has let go of some of the people who manage the service, and internal company information suggests further changes are expected. The event was also reported by macrumors.com, appleworld.today, and indiatoday.in.
According to Mark Gurman of Bloomberg, Apple laid off a "handful" of employees from the service. The exact number has not been disclosed by the company. Gurman stated: "I don't believe the service is on the chopping block right now, but given the high costs, constant demand for new content, and subscriber churn rates, it's an easy place for Apple to look for savings. And that is just beginning."
Citing Gurman, macrumors.com reported that the move within the Fitness+ organization is widely seen as the beginning of more aggressive cost-cutting measures and other major changes to the service in the coming months and years.
Apple Fitness+ is Not on the Chopping Block Yet
According to both Bloomberg and indiatoday.in, the service is not being discontinued at this time. However, as early as last November, Bloomberg reported that the future of Apple Fitness+ was under review.
Service Leadership and Planned Changes
Leadership of Apple Fitness+ has been taken over by Services chief Eddy Cue and Health head Sumbul Desai. Appleworld.today reports that this happened in February, while an earlier report stated it occurred as early as November of last year. According to Bloomberg, Cue has been pushing for Apple to move faster and become more competitive in the health and fitness space.
Gurman predicts that Apple will eventually integrate Fitness+ into a redesigned Health app. Indiatoday.in adds that Apple is already adding video clips explaining various topics and metrics into the upcoming redesign of the Health app.
How Much Apple Fitness+ Costs and How It Is Performing
According to appleworld.today, the subscription costs $9.99 per month or $79.99 per year and is included in the highest tier of the Apple One subscription. The same site notes that Fitness+ is among Apple's weaker digital offerings and generates low revenue. At the same time, it has a loyal fan base, and its potential cancellation would spark negative reactions.
According to indiatoday.in, this is Apple's second round of layoffs in less than two months. In August, the company laid off over 200 employees across the Siri, Vision Pro, and Intelligent Systems Experience teams, including roughly 100 in the Vision Pro team and around 100 in the Siri and software teams. Apple stated at the time that the move was part of "evolving our business to deliver the best possible experiences for users."