John Ternus teases ‘huge launch next week’ in first note as Apple CEO
Ternus also teased the September 9 launch event in a memo to employees, after being Apple's CEO. Here's what he said about the upcoming launch.
- Sep 2, 2026,
- Updated Sep 2, 2026 9:15 AM IST
Apple has officially named John Ternus as the new Chief Executive of the company, while Tim Cook will be transitioning to a new role as Executive Chair. As Ternus completes day 1 of being a CEO, he has shared a heartfelt note to employees, thanking them for their support and expressing his gratitude to Cook for his leadership and contributions to Apple.
Ternus also teased the September 9 launch event, saying that “We have a huge launch next week that's going to be phenomenal. Thanks for everything you've all done to make it possible.”
Here’s the full memo:
“Team,
Today, on my first day as CEO, I just wanted to send a quick note to thank everyone for the warm wishes. I also want to extend my deep appreciation to Tim for sharing so much of his knowledge and experience during this transition, and more importantly, for everything he contributed to Apple over the years. We're so lucky to have had a CEO who led with his values and with such decency and humanity. We are all better for it, and I'm so grateful he'll be our executive chairman.
I'm honored to be stepping into this role at what is truly the greatest company in the world, and I am so excited about everything we have in store. We have a huge launch next week that's going to be phenomenal. Thanks for everything you've all done to make it possible.
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. There's no team in the world I'd rather build the future with.
More to come. In the meantime, thanks for your excellent work!
John”
Must read: Who is John Ternus? Meet the new Apple CEO taking over from Tim Cook
During the teased launch event, Apple is expected to debut new hardware products, including the iPhone 18 Pro series, iPhone Ultra (the foldable phone), Apple Watch Series 12, Apple Watch Ultra 4, and other home products. Therefore, it would be a big week for Ternus as CEO of the company.
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Apple has officially named John Ternus as the new Chief Executive of the company, while Tim Cook will be transitioning to a new role as Executive Chair. As Ternus completes day 1 of being a CEO, he has shared a heartfelt note to employees, thanking them for their support and expressing his gratitude to Cook for his leadership and contributions to Apple.
Ternus also teased the September 9 launch event, saying that “We have a huge launch next week that's going to be phenomenal. Thanks for everything you've all done to make it possible.”
Here’s the full memo:
“Team,
Today, on my first day as CEO, I just wanted to send a quick note to thank everyone for the warm wishes. I also want to extend my deep appreciation to Tim for sharing so much of his knowledge and experience during this transition, and more importantly, for everything he contributed to Apple over the years. We're so lucky to have had a CEO who led with his values and with such decency and humanity. We are all better for it, and I'm so grateful he'll be our executive chairman.
I'm honored to be stepping into this role at what is truly the greatest company in the world, and I am so excited about everything we have in store. We have a huge launch next week that's going to be phenomenal. Thanks for everything you've all done to make it possible.
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. There's no team in the world I'd rather build the future with.
More to come. In the meantime, thanks for your excellent work!
John”
Must read: Who is John Ternus? Meet the new Apple CEO taking over from Tim Cook
During the teased launch event, Apple is expected to debut new hardware products, including the iPhone 18 Pro series, iPhone Ultra (the foldable phone), Apple Watch Series 12, Apple Watch Ultra 4, and other home products. Therefore, it would be a big week for Ternus as CEO of the company.
For Unparalleled coverage of India's Businesses and Economy – Subscribe to Business Today Magazine