'I love this place; it's in my blood. Goosebumps'; John Ternus on how he felt when he learned he was becoming Apple CEO, and why AI may be the key to
future Apple innovation

Date:
Thu, 10 Sep 2026 21:51:03 +0000

Description:
Apple chief John Ternus tells us how it feels to be CEO, what innovation
looks like, and how excited he is about what comes next.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter I've known John Ternus for almost a dozen years, but not this John Ternus, the newly minted Apple CEO
and sudden global tech celebrity. So, color me pleased when he and his Global Marketing SVP Greg Joswiak agreed to sit down with Tom's Guide Global Editor-in-Chief Mark Spoonauer and me for a podcast discussion that ranged from bringing Pencil to the iPhone and excitement around the foldable iPhone Duo to what AI means for innovation, and the big moment when Ternus realized he was about to become CEO of arguably one of the biggest and most important tech companies in the world.

It's kind of wild to watch someone who you think of as a brilliant but also normal and approachable guy transform into an industry rockstar almost overnight, and while Ternus, who is a 25-year Apple veteran and came directly from leading Apple's hardware operations, doesn't seem outwardly fazed by the transition, he's also attuned to the moment. (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future) "What an extraordinary privilege, right?" said Ternus with a wide grin. The reality is, I just love this place, right? It's in my blood. ...I love the people I work with. I love to be able to build the products that we all build together. And so, goosebumps...and excitement." Latest Videos From TechRadar Watch full video here: What Ternus didn't say is that he was in any way nervous, worried, or even had any fear about the sheer scope of the role. But then, that shouldn't surprise anyone, certainly not Joswiak, who sat next to Ternus and told me, "John will be too humble to say it. The product
quality that we have is really there's nobody in the industry close to what we have and this has really accelerated during the time that John has
started leading the hardware organization that became such an incredible part of designing for that reliability and as well as testing for it. It's just
off the charts." "It's in my blood" new Apple CEO John Ternus opens up about the biggest job in tech - YouTube Watch On The AI of it all Throughout our discussion, Ternus's excitement and commitment to doing things the Apple way is clear. He's clearly so deeply embedded in every aspect of the Apple
product pipeline, and when I pressed him on innovation, he made it clear
that, obviously, Apple is innovating, but that he also has a point of view and, naturally, it involves AI. You may like Tim Cook was the best Apple CEO for his time John Ternus' tenure will be defined by AI Everyone says John Ternus must fix Apple but the company isn't broken iPhone Ultra will be the star of Apple's 'Surprise and Shine' event, but all eyes will be on John Ternus

"[This is] the most exciting time in my career to be building product because AI presents all these new opportunities." Ever the big-picture thinker,
Ternus quickly added that you can't develop AI without being "really thoughtful about and deliberate about" it. (Image credit: Future) Still, Apple's next phase of innovation seems inexorably linked to AI. "You can see what we're able to do now in our products that we were never able to do before." Ternus mentioned the new Smart Take feature on the iPhone Duo ,
which essentially knows when you want to take a photo without you explicitly telling it so. Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me
with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. Also read: Apple CEO John Ternus on iPhone Duo, fixing foldable screens, and the end of the no-stylus 'rule "Those are incredibly new, exciting capabilities for the kind of products we've made. But this also opens the door for new kinds of products, and so we're just really excited....I couldn't be more excited about our roadmap and what we have ahead of us, and yeah, it's going to be fun." Rules? There are no rules Ternus strikes me as maybe more
flexible than Steve Jobs was on certain points. Take, for instance, Apple Pencil support on the iPhone Duo. That is an iPhone with digital stylus support.

In 2008, Steve Jobs famously dismissed stylus support for the iPhone. I think his exact words were, "Yuck." What to read next 'I hope people say I was a good and decent man,' Tim Cook on his post-Apple legacy and why for him I don't think any other answer was possible Here are the 5 ways that Tim Cook changed Apple for the better Apple Event 2026 recap foldable iPhone Duo, iPhone 18 Pro, AirPods 5, and more

Ternus, though, told me, " I've never really thought of it as a rule. We started with iPad. There was no Apple Pencil, right? And we proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that a touch interface on an iPad can be an amazingly capable and productive thing. But then there's things you can do with a
pencil on that larger screen that are really powerful and capable. And I
think we saw that opportunity here."

So no clear answer on innovation, but Ternus is smart about spotting and seizing opportunity.

His approach to whatever comes next is, it seems, rooted in his love of Apple and acting on those opportunities.

"I love making product," said Ternus, who added that he loves "doing it with the people here at Apple." He then pointed with some pride at the iPhone Duo, noting that he's "most excited to build amazing things like that." (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future) iPhone is still the one For all the changes
at Apple, in the industry at large, and even trends around smartphone use,
the iPhone remains firmly at the center of Apple's Ring. The introduction of the iPhone Duo, a wholly new form factor and the first two-in-one iPhone, is evidence of that, but so is how Ternus sees screens, in general.

During the keynote, Ternus, who seemed so at home on stage (both live and in the pre-recorded bits), pulled a bit of a head fake, talking about an Intelligent Personal Hub that for a moment sounded like a mythical AI
wearable (iGlasses, anyone?). In reality, he was talking about the iPhone.

Ternus told me the company is not changing any strategy on wearables (AI or otherwise). After all, it has the AirPods and the Apple Watch , which are
more AI-infused than ever. But he also made it clear that screens will remain an important part of the business, mainly because that's Apple's answer to customer demand.

"People want displays. You want to see information. You know, humans process information way more effectively visually than through audio. And so, having
a display is amazing, and it fits in your pocket. And so, we don't see the phone losing significance in any way, shape, or form." (Image credit: Future) When I asked, though, about the missing iPhone 18 base model, Jozwiak
reminded me that the Apple "Surprise and Shine" event was "the day to celebrate these new products."

I guess that's true. The iPhone 18 would've been less exciting and maybe less able to perform some of the feats now possible across Apple's myriad AI-enabled devices, and certainly would pale in comparison to the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Duo. But this keynote was also, in fact, a sort of elevated event. It wasn't just about the new gear. It was also about the new CEO, and Ternus delivered the exciting goods in the most Apple way.

"I think, you look across our whole portfolio and the beauty of Apple is its hardware, software, services and what I love is when all of these things kind of come together and interact and create an experience that is just bigger than the sum of its parts."

Ternus is now a bigger part of that equation, which could make Apple's next epoch even bigger than the last. (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future) Catch the rest of the John Ternus interview on Tom's Guide Why Apple *Really*
Waited 10 Years to Make a Foldable Phone | Interview with John Ternus & Joz - YouTube Watch On Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Check Amazon



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