Mark Gurman on Apple’s New Era: CEO John Ternus, the iPhone Duo, and the AI Frontier

As Apple navigates one of the most significant leadership transitions in its modern history, the technology industry is closely watching how the company adapts to a rapidly shifting landscape. Recently, Bloomberg chief Apple correspondent and Power On podcast host Mark Gurman joined Decoder to break down the seismic shifts happening inside Apple City. From the recent debut of the iPhone Duo—Apple’s long-anticipated entry into the foldable smartphone market—to the promotion of John Ternus as chief executive officer, Apple is rewriting its playbook as it transitions from the iPhone era into the age of artificial intelligence.

The timing of Apple’s latest hardware event was far from accidental. Taking place less than two weeks after former CEO Tim Cook stepped down from the helm, the showcase marked Ternus’s debut on the main stage as CEO. According to Gurman, Apple approaches its hardware events with meticulous narrative strategy, and this year’s story offered a transparent window into how Cook has systematically overhauled Apple’s executive ranks over the past year. Furthermore, the event underscored Ternus’s vision for navigating the company through the complex, competitive realities of the artificial intelligence era.

The Dawn of the Ternus Era and Familiar Playbooks

For Apple watchers, the transition from Cook to Ternus represents a generational changing of the guard, yet the September hardware event deliberately played it safe. Gurman noted that the keynote felt remarkably interchangeable with a traditional Tim Cook presentation. Had Cook stepped up to introduce the new devices, audiences likely would not have noticed a fundamental difference in the production or delivery.

However, a closer examination reveals subtle shifts in management style. Gurman explained that while Cook’s leadership often leaned toward collaborative, communal consensus-building—frequently peppering executives with questions rather than issuing definitive top-down rulings—Ternus is more inclined to take a distinct point of view. Right out of the gate, Ternus framed Apple’s product philosophy around an "intelligent personal hub," establishing a clear narrative framework for artificial intelligence, even if industry critics immediately drew parallels to Steve Jobs introducing the original iMac as a digital hub back in 1998.

Despite the grand framing, critics have pointed out that Apple’s artificial intelligence strategy remains heavily reliant on the iPhone as its primary hardware vessel because the company lacks a native, standalone AI device at its core. By playing its greatest hits and introducing the iPhone Duo as a "one more thing" finale, Apple opted for the safest possible path for its new CEO’s maiden voyage, ensuring stability and familiarity before tackling riskier product categories.

A Massive Product Pipeline and the Legacy of Apple Silicon

Behind the scenes, Apple is preparing a wave of new product categories designed to cement its presence in the AI landscape. Gurman reports that roughly half a dozen AI-native devices are currently in development, slated for release over the next year and a half. These upcoming innovations include a square-screen smart home hub powered by an entirely new Siri-centric operating system, advanced home security systems, and even a robotic arm-mounted home hub designed to track movement and user interactions.

Beyond the smart home, wearable technology remains a primary focus. Gurman anticipates that Apple’s much-discussed smart glasses will arrive by 2027, alongside AirPods equipped with integrated cameras. These camera-enabled wearables are expected to leverage visual intelligence features, allowing users to interact with their physical surroundings using contextual cues, spatial awareness, and real-time data parsing.

Much of Apple’s recent hardware resilience can be credited to Johny Srouji, the newly minted chief hardware officer. Srouji, the mastermind behind Apple Silicon and the successful transition away from Intel processors, represents one of the most critical structural pillars of the company. Gurman noted that retaining Srouji through the transition period was vital for Apple’s competitive advantage, ensuring continuity as the company develops its proprietary modem technology and custom hardware components.

Executive Overhauls and Regulatory Headwinds

The elevation of John Ternus is just one piece of a massive, multi-year executive restructuring engineered by Tim Cook. Over the past few years, longtime veterans have stepped down or transitioned into advisory roles. Chief Financial Officer Luca Maestri, Chief Operating Officer Jeff Williams, and General Counsel Kate Adams have all made way for a younger generation of leaders. Meanwhile, Phil Schiller has stepped down from his day-to-day management of the App Store and Apple events, shifting his focus to special projects while leaving Eddy Cue with a firmer grip over Apple’s expanding services portfolio.

This leadership shuffle comes at a delicate time as Apple faces intensifying global regulatory pressure. The U.S. Department of Justice antitrust lawsuit targeting the App Store and ecosystem practices remains an ongoing challenge. Industry veterans like Schiller, who have navigated decades of developer relations and legal depositions, recognize the precarious balance between maximizing services revenue and managing regulatory scrutiny from both the Biden and Trump administrations.

The Privacy Dilemma in an Ambient AI Future

As Apple looks toward a future dominated by ambient computing and always-on AI tools, the company faces a fundamental tension regarding its core brand pillar: privacy. Features such as the Apple Watch’s live transcription and audio-capturing capabilities have already sparked debates over social privacy and continuous monitoring.

Gurman expressed surprise at how aggressively Apple has rolled out these ambient audio features, noting that societal discomfort around always-on listening and camera-equipped wearables could create significant PR hurdles. While Apple continues to champion technical privacy protections—such as its Private Cloud Compute infrastructure designed to secure user data—the social reality of operating cameras and microphones in public spaces remains a volatile hurdle. Competitors like Meta have already faced substantial public backlash over smart glasses, and Gurman suggests that Apple will need to tread carefully to avoid alienating consumers who remain wary of ambient surveillance.

Ultimately, Ternus inherits a company operating at an unprecedented scale, boasting a multi-trillion-dollar market capitalization and an upcoming hardware roadmap that includes foldables, advanced wearables, and ambient AI ecosystems. Whether Ternus can successfully steer Apple past its current reliance on legacy devices and discover the next revolutionary centerpiece of consumer technology will define the success of his tenure in the years ahead.