As Apple enters a transformative new era, new CEO John Ternus sat down for an exclusive interview with TIME at Apple Park in Cupertino, California. Ternus, a 25-year Apple veteran and mechanical engineer by trade, stepped into the role in September to oversee some of the most dramatic shifts in the company’s recent history — including its long-awaited entry into foldable devices and a distinct approach to artificial intelligence.
The iPhone Duo: Apple’s First Foldable
At the center of Apple’s hardware lineup is the newly introduced iPhone Duo, Apple’s first-ever foldable phone and the most significant design evolution for the iPhone since its debut in 2007.
• Design & Form Factor: When closed, the Duo is roughly the size of a passport; when opened, it expands into a compact tablet. Built using a durable custom polymer and an advanced display engine, it enables a seamless transition between the outer and inner screens.
• Thoughtful Touches: Ternus highlighted that Apple’s design ethos balances deep functionality with moments of whimsy. A notable feature is “Kids Queue,” which leverages the dual-screen setup by displaying interactive characters like Snoopy on the outer screen to capture a child’s attention while taking a photo.
A Product-First Approach to AI
While competitors have raced aggressively toward frontier superintelligence, Apple is carving out a more intentional, user-focused path. Rather than pushing technology for its own sake, Ternus emphasized that Apple’s goal is to integrate AI seamlessly into everyday experiences.
• Privacy at the Core: Powered by Apple Intelligence and integrating Google’s Gemini technology, the new Siri AI taps into personal context to boost creativity and productivity.
• Uncompromised Security: Ternus reassured users that personal data remains entirely private: “Apple can’t even see it, we don’t want to see it, and we can’t see it.”
Supporting Parents and Looking Ahead
Addressing modern parenting challenges, Ternus discussed Apple’s collaboration with the American Academy of Pediatrics to roll out intuitive new screen-time and child safety tools designed to help parents easily manage what children see, access, and experience online.
As Ternus steers the company forward, he remains dedicated to the core philosophy that put Apple on the map: a relentless collaboration between engineering and design, putting the user first in every decision made.
MacDailyNews Take: Ah, a product guy, per se!
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A “product guy” committed to security. Like dessert to these ears.
If the two TRULY maintain evident/dominant, I’ll likely never switch (“likely” included b/c “never” is to be never said).