Apple Inc. has removed roughly 100 positions in its digital services division, with the team in charge of the Apple Books app and Apple Bookshop suffering the most losses.
TakeAway Points:
- Apple Inc. has slashed roughly 100 positions in its digital services division, with the team in charge of the Apple Books app and Apple Bookshop suffering the most losses.
- It has previously suspended work on its next high-end Vision headset and shuttered a project to design and develop its own smartwatch displays earlier this year, according to media reports.
- Meanwhile, earlier this week, Apple announced it will hold a press event at its headquarters in Cupertino, California, on Monday, Sept. 9, where the company is expected to announce new iPhones and Apple Watch models.
Apple cuts jobs
About 100 jobs have been eliminated by Apple Inc. in its digital services division, with the team responsible for the Apple Books app and Apple Bookshop bearing the brunt of these layoffs.
The layoffs include some engineering roles and other services teams like the one that runs Apple News, the report said, citing people familiar with the matter.
It was not immediately clear how many employees Apple had in its services division. The company had approximately 161,000 full-time equivalent employees as of Sept. 30, 2023, according to its latest annual report.
Apple has been reorganizing teams amid shifting priorities, including artificial intelligence.
It has previously suspended work on its next high-end Vision headset and shuttered a project to design and develop its own smartwatch displays earlier this year, according to media reports.
Apple has been facing headwinds in China, its third-largest market, since last year, where sales declined 6.5% last quarter.
Apple announces iPhone event for Sept. 9
Apple announced it will hold a press event at its headquarters in Cupertino, California, on Monday, Sept. 9, where the company is expected to announce new iPhones and Apple Watch models.
The launch event will be streamed on Apple’s website and YouTube. Apple has launched products through pre-recorded videos since 2020.
Apple typically releases new iPhones and Apple Watches at its fall launches ahead of the critical holiday shopping season.
This year’s iPhone models, which could be called the iPhone 16, could include bigger screens on the high-end devices, a redesigned camera bump and a new color, according to analysts and Bloomberg. Apple’s wearables are expected to get a new faster chip.
Apple also typically announces the release data of the newest version of the iPhone software for all users alongside the new models.
This year’s version is called iOS 18, and will eventually include Apple Intelligence, a collection of artificial intelligence features for daily usage such as summarizing messages and generating cute images. However, Apple’s recent developer preview signaled that Apple Intelligence features will likely launch shortly after Apple’s hardware launch.
This year’s invites include the tagline “It’s Glowtime,” a reference to Apple’s new redesign of its Siri interface.
Earlier this month, the tech giant announced that it is set to manufacture its most expensive iPhone Pro and Pro Max models in India for the first time this year, marking a significant milestone for both the U.S. tech giant and India’s manufacturing sector.
