Apple Will Have A Product Guy As Ceo Again

John Ternus is going to beryllium Apple’s adjacent CEO. And while outgoing CEO Tim Cook was lauded for his attack to logistics, Ternus’ history is that of a merchandise person.

Ternus, Apple’s SVP of hardware engineering earlier being officially tapped to return complete nan apical job, has been progressively successful nan nationalist oculus to thief Apple denote its latest products. Ternus helped introduce nan iPhone Air past September, its flashiest caller iPhone of nan 2025 lineup. He’s besides been nan look of announcing caller Macs for years, including Apple’s first Macs pinch Apple Silicon successful 2020 that profoundly transformed Apple’s machine lineup, continuing done the 15-inch MacBook Air successful 2023 and a suite of M4 Macs past year. Now, Ternus, who is 50 years aged and has had a 25-year tenure astatine Apple, is going to beryllium nan 1 successful complaint of everything.

Ternus’ clip astatine Apple has spanned some nan Steve Jobs and Tim Cook eras. It began successful 2001 erstwhile he joined Apple’s merchandise creation squad aft a fewer years arsenic a mechanical technologist astatine Virtual Research Systems. Ternus’ first leader astatine Apple, Steve Siefert, told The New York Times that Ternus became a head conscionable a fewer years aft getting hired astatine Apple. Siefert described him arsenic “a man of nan people,” recalling really Ternus turned down moving into his ain agency erstwhile he was promoted, insisting connected sitting alongside his squad instead. In 2013, Ternus was promoted again, this clip to VP of hardware engineering. In 2021, he became elder VP of hardware engineering, taking complete for Dan Riccio and officially joining Apple’s executive team.

Apple has seen important alteration successful nan company’s merchandise lineup successful nan 13 years since Ternus roseate to nan activity ranks of nan hardware engineering department, including nan motorboat of wholly caller devices. Notably, Ternus oversaw nan improvement of nan original AirPods launched successful 2016. In conscionable nan past 5 years pinch Ternus successful his SVP role, Apple has transitioned nan iPhone lineup to USB-C, redesigned nan MacBook Air to pivot distant from its aged “wedge” look, revamped nan iPad Pro with a thinner design and launched nan Vision Pro. Apple is rumored to beryllium releasing its first foldable iPhone this fall.

But not everything he’s worked connected has been a hit. A Bloomberg floor plan in March astir Apple’s heir evident called him a “driving force” down nan MacBook Pro’s ill-fated Touch Bar, and his “next typing fiasco,” nan butterfly keyboard.

Some of Ternus’ contributions person been little public, but still significant. Apple’s announcement that he will beryllium stepping successful arsenic CEO says Ternus “has besides driven overmuch of Apple’s invention successful materials and hardware design” to thief trim its c footprint, for illustration nan usage of 3D-printed titanium successful nan Apple Watch Ultra 3 and “innovations successful repairability that person accrued nan lifespans of respective Apple products.”

Ternus has large shoes to fill: he of people follows successful nan footsteps of Steve Jobs, but Tim Cook carried connected Jobs’ bequest to make nan institution nan hardware and services elephantine that it is today. Apple is rumored to person a bunch of absorbing caller products successful nan pipeline to shingle things up, including new smart location hardware, a long-delayed revamp to Siri, OLED MacBook Pros pinch a touchscreen, and moreover smart glasses. Starting September 1st, each of those products — and nan early of Apple — will go nan work of Ternus.