Apple’s new CEO, John Ternus, officially takes the helm on September 1. Less than two weeks later, he is set to unveil what is expected to be the company’s biggest new product in a decade: the first foldable iPhone.
The timing is no coincidence. According to Bloomberg News‘ Mark Gurman, Apple deliberately planned the leadership transition so that its new chief executive would be the one onstage introducing the device—positioning Ternus as the public face of what the company believes will launch a major new product category.
Mark Gurman for Bloomberg News:
The foldable iPhone will be a complex, innovative and expensive piece of technology that is sure to excite Apple’s biggest fans. And Ternus oversaw the engineering and product development of the device, making him the perfect person to be the face of the new era of the iPhone.
In creating the foldable, Apple focused on four selling points: durability, performance, a less visible display crease and a horizontal screen (when unfolded) that looks like an iPad. This all plays into Ternus’ strengths. He’s spent much of his tenure working on the iPad and improving performance, reliability and battery life across the entire product portfolio.
The excitement around the launch will give the new CEO a tailwind in both buzz and revenue, while letting him tout a product that reflects his style. The idea that Ternus drove this whole process will be put front and center during the launch period, I’m told.
MacDailyNews Take: This September 1st, it will be so nice to finally have a “product guy” back at the helm!
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The leadership change is not complete.
Let Craig Federighi be in charge of Software and AI.
Let Mike Rockwell do Personal AI under Craig. If he understands the vision of Personal AI he will grab it. If he lets go of the opportunity, let him find something better. Personal AI is so big
that he may be doing it through 2 promotions and 10 years.