Apple CEO Tim Cook is stepping down this summer with the company's hardware lead set to takeover.
But who is John Ternus and what kind of Apple can we expect in the short term?
Although it has been rumoured for a while, Tim Cook's "retirement" announcement took many by surprise – including us. Apple is seemingly entering a new era, embracing affordability like never before, thanks to the MacBook Neo launch, and soon to (finally) thrust the more advanced, AI-powered Siri upon us.
It is collaborating with long term rivals, including Google (for AI) and Amazon (satellite), and speculation mounts that its traditional iPhone launch plans will be torn asunder and staggered. Oh, and there's the small matter of a foldable phone, too.
You would think that Cook would have wanted to see this period of adaptation through – for Apple 2.0 to be his legacy. But maybe now's the perfect time to step down, in fact. Let someone else take the rudder as the boat is so resoundingly rocked.
There's no doubt about it, Apple is changing, refreshing, adapting and it's time to for someone else to bring that to fruition. And that person is John Ternus.
Who is John Ternus?
Ternus will be Apple's new CEO from the start of September – just in time for arguably the biggest shift in the company's mobile phone plans since Steve Jobs launched the original iPhone almost two decades ago.
It is thought that his first task will be to launch the much-rumoured iPhone Fold alongside the iPhone 18 Pro models. And he'll have to explain why there won't be a standard iPhone 18 model this year.
But this should be easy enough for the Apple veteran and engineer – after all, he started at the company during the Jobs era and has spent 25 years in Cupertino. He has also lead its hardware division for the last five.
In fact, you could say he has been ultimately responsible for many of Apple's most notable success stories, including the Apple Watch and AirPods. His department also brought Apple silicon into existence, and that has changed and greatly enhanced MacBooks and iPad for evermore.
"I am profoundly grateful for this opportunity to carry Apple’s mission forward," he said in Apple's statement on Cook's decision.
"Having spent almost my entire career at Apple, I have been lucky to have worked under Steve Jobs and to have had Tim Cook as my mentor. It has been a privilege to help shape the products and experiences that have changed so much of how we interact with the world and with one another. I am filled with optimism about what we can achieve in the years to come."
What can we expect from Apple under Ternus?
It's hard to say what products will appear in the new Ternus reign – some expected devices might still come during the transition. However, as a hardware engineer rather than marketeer, we could see the tech giant move into new product categories.
In the short term, it is likely that the CEO's first public task will to be host this year's iPhone launch – expected to see the debut of the iPhone Fold and the iPhone 18 Pro models. He will also hit the send button for the rollout of iOS 27 and the new Gemini-powered Siri.
We have heard previously that less emphasis will be put on services anyway, and his appointment makes sense in that regard. Apple's subscription platforms won't be going away, but it will be hardware launches that will more than likely take precedence going forward.
Another category that will be interesting for Ternus will be smart glasses. Apple is said to be developing its own glasses to rival the likes of Ray-Ban/Meta and Samsung, and as the new CEO is responsible for launching Apple Vision Pro, it's almost certain that he'll want to follow it up.
There are also changes coming to MacBook, it is claimed, with OLED panels, touchscreen (something Jobs always dismissed), and other intriguing technologies in the pipeline. And we hope that the affordable Neo brand will be attached to other products too – maybe a Mac mini Neo, perhaps?
Certainly, Ternus will have no trouble hosting major Apple events. He has appeared on stage during WWDC presentations and keynotes in the past, and recently introduced new Mac products during the press launch in March.
We should see him introduced formally during WWDC 26, too. It'll be an emotional event for Cook as well. Of that, there'll be no doubt.
