Apple has changed who runs its Vision hardware team as it keeps testing a possible new headset and pushes harder into smart glasses. The shift affects the executives overseeing Vision Pro development, not the product roadmap directly, though the two are closely tied together.
Bloomberg reported the leadership changes as part of a wider look at where Apple’s headset plans stand heading into 2027. Fletcher Rothkopf, who leads Vision hardware, now reports to Tom Marieb, a vice president of hardware engineering who answers to chief hardware officer Johny Srouji.
Rothkopf Now Answers To Marieb Instead Of Reporting Straight To Srouji
The reporting change puts one more layer between Rothkopf and Srouji. Marieb now sits in between the two, narrowing Srouji’s direct reports even though Vision hardware stays inside his broader organization.
The move follows the departure of Paul Meade, another senior figure on Apple’s Vision team, who left the company in June for OpenAI. Meade had worked closely on the spatial computing hardware behind Vision Pro, and his exit came right as Apple was rethinking its next headset design.
Apple Already Killed Three Vision Headset Projects Before N224
Apple canceled three separate headset concepts before landing on its current project. N107 would have offloaded computing to a Mac or another external device. N100, known internally as Vision Air, aimed for a lighter design using an external pack. N109 was planned as a cheaper, lighter Vision Pro built around a less powerful chip.
Apple has also cut jobs across the Vision organization, including staff working on Siri integration, immersive video and gaming. None of that has stopped work on N224, the project still being tested. Apple is trying plastic, titanium and other materials to cut the headset’s weight, and is weighing a separate external puck for the battery and processor similar to the setup in Meta’s latest VR glasses.
Smart Glasses Are Now Competing For Apple’s Resources
Apple is putting more of its wearable team’s attention on displayless smart glasses that would use cameras and AI without a built-in screen. Apple could release that product as early as the end of 2027, well ahead of any realistic N224 launch.
Apple is reportedly also developing camera-equipped AirPods and a screenless fitness tracker, spreading its wearable plans across more categories than Vision Pro alone. CEO John Ternus has said Vision remains a long-term priority for Apple, comparing its current stage to the early years of personal computers.
Apple has set no release date for N224. The smart glasses already have a rough end-of-2027 target.
