Apple under Ternus: what comes next for the tech giant’s hardware strategy

As Apple races to stay competitive in AI while navigating tariffs and supply chain uncertainty, the company’s future is about to shift under new leadership.

On Monday, Apple announced that John Ternus will take over as CEO later this year, succeeding Tim Cook.

Cook transformed Apple into a $4 trillion global powerhouse, expanded its services business, and oversaw some of the most profitable years in tech history. Ternus brings a different kind of skillset. A longtime hardware executive, he has spent his career building Apple’s devices rather than managing the broader business.

Ternus joined Apple in 2001 and rose through the ranks of hardware engineering. Along the way, he has contributed to some of the company’s biggest products, including AirPods, the Apple Watch, and Vision Pro.

His appointment signals a renewed focus on hardware at a moment when Apple is under pressure to define its next era. Ternus will now help determine what that looks like.

Hardware with AI at the center

Rather than trying to compete head-on with companies building the biggest AI models, Ternus may push Apple to focus on the AI-powered devices themselves, whether that be the one in your hand, something you wear, or something that lives in your home.

There’s already a lot of speculation about what Apple could launch next. Ideas floating around include smart glasses, a wearable pendant with a built-in camera, and even AirPods with AI features. According to Bloomberg, the idea is that all of these products would connect to the iPhone, with Siri playing a major role.

Ternus is also expected to push forward on products that have been stuck in limbo. Foldable iPhones are the obvious example. They’ve been rumored for years, and while competitors have already moved ahead, Apple has taken a slower approach, waiting until the technology meets its standards. Reports say it will arrive in September, which means Ternus will be overseeing the launch.

Apple has also reportedly been exploring robotics, particularly for the home. One concept includes a tabletop device with a robotic arm attached to a display, essentially a smart assistant that can move and turn toward you. Notably, this lines up with Ternus’s long-standing interest in robotics. In college, he built a device that allowed quadriplegics to control a mechanical feeding arm using head movements, as reported by the New York Times.

There are also ideas for mobile robots that could follow you around, handle simple tasks, or act like a moving FaceTime screen. Some reports even mention experiments with humanoid robots, though those are likely years away.

While none of these are guaranteed to happen, they do give a pretty clear sense of where Apple’s thinking might be going.

However, ongoing memory chip shortages, President Trump’s frequently shifting tariff policies, and the company’s reliance on Chinese manufacturing could create a challenging period ahead. Roughly 80% of iPhones were produced in China before the tariffs. The company recently pivoted to India, making about 25% of its iPhones in the country last year, according to Bloomberg.