“We have an incredible roadmap ahead, and while you won’t let me talk about the details of that roadmap, suffice it to say that this is the most exciting time of my 25-year career building products and services at Apple,” Ternes told investors.
When Cook was asked about his advice for Ternus, he said to “never forget” that Apple users are “the North Star for the company.”
“We’re about creating the best products in the world that truly enrich other people’s lives. And if you keep that focused and make your decisions around that, it will create a great business, and we’ll be able to make more products and do it again,” Cook said on the call. “Our roadmap is incredible, and most importantly, we have the right leader ready to step into this role. As I’ve said, there is no one on the planet I have more confidence in leading Apple into the future than John Ternes.”
Ternes’ tenure as CEO will begin in September. Although executives are keeping the product roadmap under wraps for now, a foldable iPhone is expected, and Apple wants Turnus to be the face that people associate with it.
In his current role, Ternus leads the company’s hardware engineering efforts. The prospect of putting a hardware expert in charge has excited Apple fans, who are dissatisfied with the claimed slowdown of innovation in product releases. Cook has been blamed for this lack of revolutionary changes.
But he may not have been as innovative as Steve Jobs, Cook oversaw the company’s transformation into a trillion-dollar giant four times over. On Thursday’s earnings call, Ternes promised to continue Cook’s style of financial leadership.
“A hallmark of Tim’s tenure has been deep thoughtfulness, deliberation, and discipline when it comes to the company’s financial decision-making, and I want you to know that Kevan and I intend to continue that as we transition into roles in September,” Ternus told investors.
Apple is already promoting Ternus’ hardware engineering capabilities as a company advantage. On the call, Cook shared that the iPhone 17 family, led by Ternus, is currently the most popular product lineup in Apple’s history.
Apart from products, Turnus also has a lot to answer for in terms of artificial intelligence. Tech giants have been slow to work on AI, while rivals like Google and Microsoft are moving ahead with AI innovations. The company has long promised a huge leap in AI with an advanced Siri, but had to push the release back at the last minute to March 2025. The delays frustrated fans, reportedly caused internal rifts at the company, and even led to federal lawsuits accusing Apple of false advertising. Personalized Siri was expected to arrive earlier this year, but it has reportedly been delayed again.
In the call, Cook reiterated that a “more personal Siri” will come out later this year.
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