If there is one question mark over Tim Cook’s decade-and-a-half of running Apple, it is that he never quite delivered the innovative streak Steve Jobs was known for. There is a good chance that his predecessor makes a stronger start.
A total of 15 years and one week since Cook succeeded Steve Jobs, on Tuesday he will hand the reins to John Ternus, a longtime Apple executive who remains largely unknown outside the tech industry.
Ternus will not have to wait long to make his mark. The following week, Apple is expected to unveil a new folding “iPhone Ultra” at an event at the company’s California headquarters.
The device, which Apple has been secretly working on for years, is expected to generate intrigue and buzz unlike anything a new iPhone has in a decade.
If there is one question mark over Tim Cook’s decade-and-a-half of running Apple, it is that he never quite delivered the innovative streak Steve Jobs was known for. There is a good chance that his predecessor makes a stronger start.
A total of 15 years and one week since Cook succeeded Steve Jobs, on Tuesday he will hand the reins to John Ternus, a longtime Apple executive who remains largely unknown outside the tech industry.
Ternus will not have to wait long to make his mark. The following week, Apple is expected to unveil a new folding “iPhone Ultra” at an event at the company’s California headquarters.
The device, which Apple has been secretly working on for years, is expected to generate intrigue and buzz unlike anything a new iPhone has in a decade.
The timing of Cook’s departure will allow the incoming chief executive to unveil it, representing something of a parting gift to the new boss.
“It’s not by coincidence that Tim will let John take the stage and start on top with a big announcement,” said Francisco Jeronimo, a tech analyst at Industrial Design Consultancy. “It could easily be something that Tim could present himself, but it’s the right thing to do for both of them.”
In addition to giving Ternus an early boost, it is also hoped that combining the leadership change with the launch of an exciting new product will signal a shift in emphasis at the tech giant.
Under Cook’s leadership, Apple has become one of the world’s most valuable and profitable companies, selling hundreds of billions of dollars’ worth of iPhones every year.
The company is worth more than $4.5tn (£3.3tn) today, 12 times what it was worth when Cook took over.
While he has been seen more as a steady-handed operator than an innovator, Cook has also overseen a significant expansion of the products and services the company offers, from AirPods headphones and the Apple Watch to a suite of subscriptions from TV to music streaming.
Disappointing projects
However, two of Cook’s biggest bets have flopped. Apple’s boss ploughed billions of dollars into an electric and autonomous car project, called Project Titan, that he ultimately cancelled in 2024.
The most ambitious new product he unveiled, a set of virtual-reality goggles called the Vision Pro, has widely been seen as a disappointment, with the company cutting back production and reportedly focusing on successors such as smart glasses.
To date, this has hardly mattered to shareholders, as Cook has made Apple more profitable than ever. Revenue from the iPhone, which turns 20 next year, was $226bn in 2025, compared to $155bn a decade earlier.
However, the arrival of AI has triggered questions about the direction in which Apple is heading.
AI has joined the chat
Chatbots, such as Claude and ChatGPT, and AI glasses, such as Meta’s Ray-Bans, have raised the prospect of a world in which the smartphone and the apps it runs are not necessarily the dominant way people use technology.
“There’s no reason in the future to be opening apps every single time we need to book a cab or make a payment or shop for something, because that will be delivered through AI,” says Jeronimo.
“And that kind of experience can be potentially delivered by anyone.”
Apple has had its own AI stumbles in recent years, delaying a powerful “Siri 2.0” designed to turbocharge the bot’s capabilities by acting as a personal assistant. It is slated to roll out in the coming weeks.
The company’s change at the top is partly designed to signal a focus on staying at the cutting edge.
When Cook took over from Jobs, he was best known for mastering Apple’s supply chain, moving production to China and boosting profit margins.
Ternus, meanwhile, is a mechanical engineer by training and has run Apple’s hardware division for the last five years. He previously oversaw the team that developed the AirPods, the now ubiquitous white wireless headphones.