Apple CEO John Ternus teases phenomenal iPhone launch next week

John Ternus has been Apple’s CEO for exactly eight days, and he’s already making promises. In a memo to employees following his September 1 takeover from Tim Cook, Ternus called the company’s upcoming September 9 launch “a huge launch that’s going to be phenomenal.” The event, branded “Surprise and Shine,” marks Ternus’s first major product showcase as chief executive. It’s expected to feature iPhone 18 Pro models, a foldable device rumored to be called the iPhone Ultra, and refreshed Apple Watch and AirPods lineups. A hardware guy running the hardware company Ternus has been at Apple since 2001, rising through the ranks of hardware engineering before landing the senior vice president role. His 25-year tenure at the company spans the entirety of the iPod era and beyond. Tim Cook transitioned to the role of executive chairman, a move that keeps his operational fingerprints on the company while handing the product spotlight to someone who has spent his career overseeing Apple’s hardware. The succession was timed to coincide with Apple’s annual fall hardware event. In his employee memo, Ternus expressed gratitude toward Cook and emphasized what he described as a robust product pipelin...