SAN FRANCISCO: Apple enters a new era on Tuesday as John Ternus takes over as chief executive, succeeding Tim Cook after 15 years and assuming responsibility for steering the iPhone maker through an increasingly competitive artificial intelligence landscape.
Ternus, 51, joined Apple’s design team in 2001 and rose to become senior vice president of hardware engineering. He has overseen engineering across Apple’s product portfolio, including the iPhone, which remains the company’s biggest revenue generator.
His appointment marks a shift from Cook, an operations specialist who transformed Apple’s global supply chain, to an engineer closely associated with its hardware.
Apple and John Faces Crucial AI Challenge
One of Ternus’s biggest tasks will be strengthening Apple’s position in artificial intelligence, where the company has faced pressure to keep pace with major technology rivals.
Dan Ives, partner and senior managing director at Yorkville Ives & Co, said Cook had left Apple in strong condition but Ternus must now define the company’s “AI chapter”.
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Some analysts had considered software chief Craig Federighi a more obvious candidate because of AI’s growing importance. However, Creative Strategies analyst Carolina Milanesi argued that hardware remains fundamental to how consumers experience new technology.
Ternus will face an early test on September 9, when Apple holds its annual iPhone event and is expected to unveil its first foldable handset.
A foldable iPhone would represent one of the company’s most significant smartphone redesigns in years.
China and Trump Add Pressure
Beyond AI, Ternus inherits a complex geopolitical challenge surrounding Apple’s extensive manufacturing operations in China.
Cook had already begun diversifying production, moving some iPhone assembly to India and other manufacturing to Vietnam, but China remains central to Apple’s supply chain and is also a major consumer market.
US President Donald Trump has repeatedly pushed Apple to manufacture iPhones in the United States and threatened tariffs on devices produced overseas.
Navigating relations with both Washington and Beijing will therefore become a major test for Ternus, whose career has primarily focused on engineering rather than international politics.
Cook, however, will remain influential. He becomes executive chairman of Apple’s board, with responsibilities that include engagement with policymakers worldwide.
The arrangement could allow Ternus to concentrate more heavily on products, hardware innovation and AI while benefiting from Cook’s extensive political and business relationships.
With a major iPhone launch coming just eight days after he takes charge, Ternus will have little time before investors and consumers get their first indication of how he intends to lead one of the world’s most influential technology companies.
