Apple's new CEO John Ternus heads toward his first major iPhone event

John Ternus has formally taken over as Apple's chief executive, succeeding Tim Cook just days before one of the company's most consequential product events in years. Apple has scheduled its next hardware presentation for September 9, giving the former hardware-engineering chief an unusually public introduction to the CEO role. The event is expected to centre on the next iPhone generation, with widespread industry attention also focused on Apple's anticipated entry into foldable smartphones.

Cook has moved into the executive-chairman position, providing continuity while Ternus takes operational leadership. The succession matters because Apple is confronting several simultaneous transitions: artificial intelligence is changing software expectations, smartphone replacement cycles are lengthening and regulatory pressure continues around the App Store. Ternus spent years overseeing the hardware organisation responsible for products such as iPhone, iPad and Mac, giving him deep engineering familiarity.

His first launch event will therefore be watched not only for new devices but for early signals about how aggressively Apple intends to change under its new leadership.