• 5 min read
Apple cuts Vision Pro teams as smart glasses take priority
Apple is cutting more than 200 jobs across Vision Pro, Siri, and AI teams while moving smart glasses higher on its product priority list.
Source: Digital trends
Apple is cutting more than 200 jobs across its Vision Pro, Siri, and AI software teams, with roughly 100 positions disappearing from the group responsible for the headset. Bloomberg’s reporting, as covered by The Verge, says the cuts include the near-shutdown of Vision Pro gaming and a smaller team for immersive video content.
The changes, reported on Friday, August 21, 2026, mark a significant retreat from some of Apple’s original plans for the $3,499 spatial-computing headset. They do not mean Vision Pro or its visionOS operating system is being discontinued, but they show that Apple is redirecting staff and resources toward products it believes have stronger customer demand.
According to Digital Trends' account of the cuts, Bloomberg puts the number of affected Vision Products Group employees at approximately 100. Apple is also cutting about 100 people from Siri and software groups, including the Intelligent Systems Experience team involved in the company’s AI work.
Apple told Bloomberg that it is restructuring teams to “evolve our business to deliver the best experiences for our users.” The company said it will create new roles as part of the changes, and affected employees can apply for other positions inside Apple. Apple had not immediately responded to The Verge’s request for comment.
Vision Pro’s expensive content strategy is shrinking
The most concrete product change is happening around Vision Pro’s content pipeline. Apple is “largely shutting down” the headset’s gaming team and reducing the group that produces immersive video, according to Bloomberg’s reporting cited by MacRumors.
Apple’s immersive productions can cost several million dollars per episode or video, while the headset has reached a relatively small audience. That makes the economics difficult: Apple is spending heavily on 3D programming for a device with too few active users to support the production model.
Apple now plans to produce a smaller amount of immersive video internally and depend more heavily on third-party 3D content. The shift is not a cancellation of immersive video, but it reduces Apple’s role in financing and making the material itself.
Employees were reportedly told that Apple is realigning its priorities around how customers are using Vision Pro. That explanation points to usage, rather than a technical failure or a formal product cancellation, as the reason for cutting back on gaming and in-house immersive content.
The headset launched in early 2024 as Apple’s flagship spatial-computing product. The Verge notes that Apple has continued work on a slimmer and lighter successor, which could arrive as early as late 2028, while a separate report said Apple had suspended work with Samsung Display on a panel for an entry-level XR device. The current headset was updated with an M5 chip last year, according to The Verge.
Siri and smart glasses become the new focus
Apple’s restructuring also affects Siri as the company reorganizes around a revamped, AI-powered assistant. The company is cutting existing Siri and software positions while creating new roles for AI-focused work. The new Siri is expected to become available to the public in beta later in 2026, according to The Verge.
At the same time, smart glasses are moving higher on Apple’s priority list. The company’s first pair is reportedly known internally as N50. Digital Trends says Apple could unveil the glasses at WWDC 2027, typically held in June, before launching them later that year; The Verge similarly reports an announcement at WWDC and a release by the end of 2027.
Apple is still working through the privacy problems created by putting cameras on ordinary-looking eyewear. The smart glasses are expected to include cameras, speakers, microphones, and AI features, but the supplied reports do not establish final specifications, pricing, or a firm release date.
Our earlier reporting found that Apple is considering fitness and activity tracking for these glasses, while a separate report placed the privacy-focused product at WWDC 2027. That makes the shift from Vision Pro more than a simple headset refresh: Apple appears to be pursuing a lower-profile wearable with everyday use cases, while leaving 3D gaming and immersive video to Vision Pro. MacRumors reports that the planned AI smart glasses will not support 3D gaming or video.
Apple’s statement presents the changes as a business evolution rather than a retreat from hardware:
“While we will create new roles as part of this change, it will also impact a limited number of existing roles. We are grateful to these team members for their contributions, and we are committed to supporting them throughout their transition, including opportunities to apply for other roles at Apple.”
The distinction matters. Vision Pro and visionOS remain active projects, but the company is reducing investment in the headset’s most expensive content and gaming efforts while building toward smart glasses and a more heavily AI-oriented Siri. The clearest signal is the staffing: about 100 Vision Products Group jobs are gone, alongside another 100 Siri and software roles, as Apple shifts its biggest bets toward products designed for broader, more routine use.
Computing Editor
Tomas lives in the terminal. He covers chips, laptops, and operating systems with a focus on performance and efficiency. He reads kernel changelogs the way other people read fiction, and he's always on the hunt for the perfect mechanical keyboard switch. If it processes data, Tomas has an opinion on it.
