John Ternus opened Apple’s annual showcase on Wednesday as Steve Jobs was back in the frame for the company’s new chief executive. He told the audience, “I want to take a moment to express what an extraordinary privilege it is to represent the remarkable teams here at Apple.”
He also said, “I’ve spent much of my life at this company, and I continue to be inspired every single day by the curiosity, invention and relentless pursuit of excellence that define Apple.”
Apple’s new CEO on stage
The appearance gave the public its first look at Ternus in the role Apple announced in April. He said he had worked under Steve Jobs and Tim Cook, and he said he was “profoundly grateful” to “carry Apple’s mission forward.”
Ternus started at Apple in 2001. He became the vice-president of hardware engineering in 2013. By 2021, he was heading the entire hardware department.
Jobs, Cook, and a new tone
Ternus is filling the shoes of Tim Cook and Steve Jobs at Apple. Cook praised him as having “the mind of an engineer, the soul of an innovator and the heart to lead with integrity and with honor.”
That handoff comes with a visible style shift. Steve Jobs was known for his commanding stage presence. Ternus has kept a lower profile, which makes his first major showcase less about theater and more about whether Apple can make the hardware story carry the room on its own.
Foldable phone pressure
Apple was expected to use Surprise and Shine in Cupertino, California to make big announcements. The company was expected to announce its first foldable phone and major upgrades to its iPhone and Apple Watch lines.
For readers, the practical question is simple: Apple has now put its new CEO on stage before the product details land. If the foldable phone and the other upgrades arrive as expected, the showcase becomes the first real test of how Ternus presents Apple in public. If they do not, the company’s new chief starts with the harder task of explaining why the biggest promised hardware shift did not appear when the spotlight was brightest.
The unanswered question is what Apple actually unveiled at the showcase, and whether the foldable phone made the cut.
