Apple investors are eager for a closer look at John Ternus as the next CEO of the iPhone maker when Apple reports quarterly results on Thursday, with Wall Street expecting another strong performance.
Although Ternus formally takes over from Tim Cook in September, Apple’s decision to announce the succession just days before earnings has convinced analysts he will join the post-results conference call.
Reuters:
The former hardware chief, who has overseen some of Apple’s biggest bets in recent years, including the shift to custom-designed chips for the Mac, is expected to maintain a product-first approach as the company navigates the AI era.
He must decide how far to open Apple’s tightly controlled ecosystem to keep pace in the artificial intelligence race that has so far rewarded speed and experimentation over curation and control.
“The AI story remains one up in the air, but this quarter isn’t just about the numbers,” said Jay Woods, chief market strategist at Freedom Capital Markets. “Investors will be focused on how leadership change could shape product innovation, capital allocation and Apple’s next chapter in AI.”
The MacBook Neo, which Ternus launched in March, has created the kind of buzz that few Apple devices have managed in recent years and drawn strong early sales.
Ben Bajarin, CEO at tech consultancy Creative Strategies, said the Neo was potentially a new $20-billion-per-year market for Apple.
“Neo gives Apple a credible product in parts of the notebook market where it has historically been structurally absent, especially education, first-time buyers and value-oriented Windows replacement cycles,” Bajarin said.
MacDailyNews Take: Mac sales are expected to grow 0.8% to $8.02 billion in the January-March quarter, Apple’s fiscal second quarter, according to LSEG data. Overall revenue is forecast to increase 15% to $109.66 billion, matching the growth rate from the holiday quarter, with iPhone sales posting a 22% rise to $57.21 billion.
MacDailyNews Note: As usual, we’ll bring you Apple’s results as soon as they are released, right around 1:30 p.m. PDT / 4:30 p.m. EDT on Thursday, April 30, 2026 and then follow with live notes from Apple’s conference call at 2:00 p.m. PDT / 5:00 p.m. EDT.
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