Tim Cook is already 65 years old, and at this age people often retire. So who will replace him? Bloomberg published a detailed piece about John Ternus — the person who, according to the publication’s sources, will most likely become the next CEO of Apple. Ternus oversees all of the company’s hardware development, and recently his area of responsibility has been rapidly expanding: design, robotics, product marketing. Tim Cook has not announced any plans to leave and recently even carefully mentioned what will happen with iPhone and other Apple devices, but he openly says he thinks about the company’s future leadership.
Who Will Be the Next Head of Apple After Tim Cook
Will Tim Cook Leave Apple
Still remember what Tim Cook looks like? Instead of presentations there have been many dry press releases on the website. Image: phonearena.com
There is no direct answer to this question yet. According to initial reports, Tim Cook was supposed to leave Apple in the first half of 2026. The 65-year-old Cook himself has not shared retirement plans even with his closest associates. At a January employee meeting, he cautiously joked about his age but made it clear he’s not planning to leave yet. At the same time, Cook admitted that he is “obsessed” with the question of who will be in Apple’s leadership in 5, 10, and 15 years.
The context of changes, however, speaks volumes. Over the past year, Chief Operating Officer Jeff Williams, CFO Luca Maestri, the general counsel, as well as heads of artificial intelligence, user interfaces, and environmental initiatives have left the company or stepped back from their roles. Some departures are related to Apple’s problems in the AI field, but some are due to a natural generational shift at a company that turns 50 years old on April 1, 2026. Cook has made it clear that he wants his successor to come from within the company and that he himself would serve as a mentor — similar to how Steve Jobs handed him the reins in 2011.
Who Is John Ternus
John Ternus is 50 years old and has spent roughly half his life at Apple. He started with monitor development, led the design of the original iPad, and then took over the Mac lineup. Since 2021, Ternus has headed all of Apple’s hardware division, meaning he is responsible for devices that generate about 80% of the company’s revenue.
If you’ve watched Apple presentations at least once, you’ve definitely seen Ternus. Image: 9to5mac.com
His authority has grown significantly in recent times:
- He gained control over Apple’s secret robotics division, including a tabletop device with a screen that follows the speaker during video calls (release expected no earlier than 2027).
- He oversees hardware and software design teams — effectively becoming the link between Apple’s legendary design department and senior leadership.
- He personally edits text for the Apple website and product presentation materials.
- It was Ternus, not Cook, who presented the MacBook Neo — a new $599 laptop (approximately from 65,000 ₽ in Russia) — and appeared on the Good Morning America TV show the next day.
Former Apple procurement chief Tony Blevins calls Ternus an “outstanding and obvious choice” for the CEO position. Colleagues describe him as a calm, politically savvy leader who knows how to delegate and build relationships between teams. It was Ternus who played a key role in transitioning Mac from Intel processors to Apple’s own chips — one of the company’s most important technological decisions of the past decade.
New Apple Devices 2026
The list of projects Ternus is responsible for reads like Apple’s roadmap for the coming years. According to Bloomberg, he is overseeing work on:
- A foldable iPhone — its release is expected this year.
- An iPhone with a bezel-less screen — possibly by the device’s 20th anniversary in 2027.
- A foldable iPad with a screen of about 20 inches.
- Wearable devices with cameras and computer vision — glasses, new AirPods, and even a pendant.
- Three home devices: a robotic gadget (codename J595), an AI hub with facial recognition (J490), and a compact sensor for home security (J450).
At the same time, Ternus has historically been cautious about risky projects. He was skeptical about the Apple Car (the project was shut down) and the Vision Pro headset (which Bloomberg outright calls a failure). In both cases, his caution proved justified. Ten years ago, he also didn’t believe in the prospects of home devices, thinking they wouldn’t be profitable. The original HomePod indeed flopped, and now Ternus, according to sources, has taken responsibility for Apple’s lag in this category.
His track record also includes some outright failures. Ternus was the driving force behind two notable flops in Mac history:
Butterfly on the left. It was considered a revolution but became a failure. Image: techcrunch.com
- Touch Bar — a touch panel replacing the top row of keys on MacBook Pro. According to a source, Ternus “pushed for it, claiming it was a good marketing idea.” The feature didn’t catch on, and he himself removed it.
- The butterfly keyboard — it was supposed to make laptops thinner but turned out to be uncomfortable, noisy, and unreliable. This led to class action lawsuits, and Apple paid $50 million in settlements.
There was also an incident with Vision Pro: before the headset’s launch, it was discovered that the newest AirPods Pro didn’t support wireless audio transmission with minimal latency. The only solution was to release an updated version of the earbuds, and buyers of the $3,500 headset (approximately from 377,000 ₽ in Russia) had to pay an additional $250 (approximately from 27,000 ₽) for new AirPods. Sources say that Ternus initially started looking for someone to blame in this situation, which caused tension among the teams. However, colleagues note that this was an uncharacteristic episode for him.
When Will AI Work on iPhone
The most serious argument against Ternus is whether he can solve a problem that Cook couldn’t. Apple is noticeably behind competitors in the field of artificial intelligence. Apple Intelligence — the company’s proprietary AI system — was so disappointing at launch that some industry analysts called for Cook’s resignation. Nearly two years later, the company still hasn’t released competitive AI services, and a smarter version of Siri has been repeatedly delayed and, according to Bloomberg, will use Google’s technology.
In 2023, Ternus laughed off the idea in a TV interview that Apple should be worried about being late to generative AI. Now that looks like a miscalculation. However, he recently changed his tone, acknowledging that some consider the company a laggard, but stating: “If we do everything right, people won’t think about it.”
