John Ternus Gives Subtle iPhone 18 Series Message in First Memo as CEO

John Ternus has sent his first memo to Apple employees after taking over as CEO. Ternus thanked Apple staff for their support and commended former CEO, Tim Cook for leading the company with “values, decency, and humanity.” He also thanked Cook, who has transitioned to Executive Chairperson, for his guidance during the transition. 

What Was John Ternus’ Message About iPhone 18?

In his memo to employees, John Ternus included a short preview of the company’s immediate future. The new CEO reminded employees of what he termed as a “huge launch next week”,  which he termed as “phenomenal”. 

Ternus gave a subtle nod to the iPhone 18 series, which is expected to launch  at the “Surprise and Shine” event on September 9. He expressed excitement regarding the products that the company is already developing and those it will create in future. 

“I’m just as excited about what lies beyond that, including the incredible products already in the works and the ones we haven’t even imagined yet that we’ll dream up and create together,” Ternus noted in the memo as cited by Times of India. 

The "Surprise and Shine” event will mark Ternus’ first Apple product launch as CEO. Prior to his exit, Cook expressed confidence in Ternus, saying he took “enormous comfort” in handing over the leadership to a “brilliant,” “wonderful,” and “capable” person. As Apple prepares to unveil one of its biggest products of the year, Ternus now faces the spotlight as he begins shaping the company’s next chapter.

What John Ternus said About the Team at Apple

John Ternus' first message as CEO appreciated Apple employees and described the tech giant as the “greatest company in the world. Ternus expressed confidence that Apple would “continue to be great with the same team”. 

He also noted that there was “no team in the world” he would prefer to build the future with like the one in Apple. His message indicated that the tech giant plans to maintain consistency in innovation while anticipating future products and technologies. 

Ternus, who previously served as Senior Vice President of Hardware Engineering, brings a strong product-development background to the CEO role. He joined Apple in 2001 and oversaw production of Apple’s key products in his previous role. 

Apple has restructured several teams as part of the leadership change. The company has named Johny Srouji as the new Chief Hardware Officer where he will lead the hardware engineering division. The tech giant has also restructured the product design team, with former engineering vice president Laura Legros joining the company.

What Next for John Ternus?

With his first major product launch approaching, Ternus is set to define his leadership style in the months ahead. The iPhone 18 series could offer an early glimpse of his vision, while Apple’s longer-term product pipeline will test his ability to sustain innovation and guide the company through its next phase.