New Apple CEO John Ternus Teases 'Phenomenal' Launch Ahead Of September 9 iPhone Event

John Ternus has officially taken over as Apple's Chief Executive Officer, succeeding Tim Cook, who led the company for 15 years. In his first memo to the staff, Ternus hypes the big launch next week, calling it 'phenomenal'.

Ternus, who previously served as Apple's senior vice president of Hardware Engineering, steps into the top job at a pivotal moment for the company. Apple is set to hold its annual iPhone event on September 9, which is widely expected to include the debut of the company's first foldable iPhone. The event is also expected to see a broader rollout of an upgraded Siri, as Apple looks to position its AI assistant as a serious rival to chatbots such as OpenAI's ChatGPT and Anthropic's Claude.

"We have a huge launch next week that's going to be phenomenal," Ternus wrote in the memo to staff, Bloomberg reported. "I'm just as excited about what lies beyond that, including the incredible products already in the works and the ones we haven't even imagined yet that we'll dream up and create together."

Beyond the upcoming event, Apple is reportedly working on a broader pipeline of new products, including camera-equipped AirPods, smart glasses and a touchscreen laptop.

Cook, who stepped down after over a decade at the helm, also addressed staff on his final day as CEO. "I take enormous comfort in handing the helm to someone as brilliant and wonderful and capable as John," Cook reportedly wrote. "Few people understand what it takes to build products that change the world the way John does and I could not be more excited for his leadership."

Cook has moved into the newly created role of executive chairman at Apple, while Ternus formally assumes charge of the company's day-to-day operations at a moment when Apple faces heightened scrutiny over its AI strategy and product roadmap.

Published on: Wednesday, September 02, 2026, 09:35 AM IST