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When Tim Cook asked him if he wanted to lead Apple, John Ternus was fortunately sitting down – or so he tells it himself. In a lengthy television interview, the new CEO talks about that moment, about technology in his family, and about a headset that he describes publicly quite differently than it's rumored to him internally.
Ternus gave an extensive interview to the program "Clique" on the French channel Canal+. Host Mouloud Achour conducted the interview in early September after the keynote address, and it was published over the weekend. It is one of the first major interviews since Ternus succeeded Tim Cook on September 1st.
The topics range from the offer to become CEO, to artificial intelligence and child safety, to Vision Pro.
Key Facts at a Glance
- According to Ternus, the offer to carry Apple came as a complete surprise.
- He does not foresee a radical change of course; the focus on products and customers will remain.
- He compares the Vision Pro to the beginnings of the computer and cites surgery and film production as growing fields of application.
- His children use Apple devices; the family decides on the times and purposes together.
“Luckily, I was sitting down.”
When Cook asked him if he could imagine taking on the role, the good news was that he was sitting down, Ternus says. He had never imagined it. For him, it had always been about being at Apple, focusing on the work, and building great things. He doesn't say when the conversation took place.
He cites not a single sentence, but an attitude as the most important lesson from Steve Jobs and Tim Cook: looking ahead. A product launch is a great day, but the next day is already about the next thing. He describes being able to say "One more thing" himself on stage as an almost magical moment; he had goosebumps.
No radical change
When asked whether Apple was returning to its roots as an engineering company under his leadership, Ternus replied that essentially nothing had changed. He was new to the role, but the focus on innovation, on products, and above all, on customers had been there from the beginning. He loved building things, but didn't consider that a radical change.
With this statement, he publicly commits to continuity. According to him, a fundamental restructuring of the company is not planned, even though the management team has already been reorganized under his leadership.
Ternus describes generative AI as such a powerful technology that this is the most exciting time of his career for building products. Much of what was once science fiction is now possible. Siri AI, on the other hand, is explicitly not intended to be a friend. Apple does not want to replace human relationships, because that is how we learn and grow.
Vision Pro as the beginning of a long journey
Achour asked whether the Vision Pro was a test, a flop, or the first step toward a new kind of computer. Ternus called it an absolutely amazing device and compared the situation to the early days of computing. Back then, people gradually found reasons why a Mac enabled them to do things that hadn't been possible before—such as desktop publishing, which subsequently became its own industry.
He sees the same trend with the Vision Pro. Besides enthusiastic early adopters, surgeons are using the headset during operations because they consider it a better tool than a monitor next to the operating table. Initial evaluations for this application are already available. In film production, it's being used for set planning. The future looks very promising.
This line is not new. Back in April, Ternus had already spoken of the early days of spatial computing and described the Vision Pro as an exceptional product.
Technology in the family
Achour asked Ternus about the fact that some CEOs of technology companies don't allow their children to use smartphones or computers. Ternus said he couldn't quite understand this, as his children use them. He explained that they had discussed it extensively as a family and established rules about when and for what purpose the devices could be used, and when they couldn't. He also pointed to the enhanced parental controls in iOS 27.
In Europe, the question is currently shifting from the family to the legislature. The EU Commission addressed the issue on September 17th. KIDS Act The proposed model proposes that children under 13 should have no access to social media, and those under 15 should only have accounts set up and supervised by their parents. Ternus' model, on the other hand, relies on agreements within the family instead of fixed age limits.
The iPhone Duo and its shape
Regarding the iPhone Duo, Ternus explained that Apple didn't simply want to put two smartphone shapes together, as that would result in an odd square. The starting point was the large display of the iPad, from which a new aspect ratio was created. Apple's designers had already explained how this aspect ratio is based on the paper format.
The hinge and display were particularly challenging; both had to be reliable. Ternus highlights the animation that unfolds from one side to the other as his favorite detail. The device can be pre-ordered starting October 16th.
Two pictures of a headset
Publicly, Ternus is a defender of Vision Pro. However, according to a Bloomberg report from September 1, colleagues who spoke to him via headset describe him as skeptical from the start: too bulky and too expensive for a mass audience. Shortly before he took office, the Vision Pro group was reduced by around 100 positions, and according to Bloomberg, a revised successor is not expected before the end of 2028.
The two images are not mutually exclusive. The comparison to the beginnings of computing doesn't specify a date, a successor model, or a price. We therefore interpret it more as an endorsement of visionOS as a platform, which, according to Bloomberg, will also run on the planned smart glasses, and less as a commitment to the headset in its current form.
Do you believe Ternus' enthusiasm for the Vision Pro – or is the fact that the team behind it has shrunk more significant to you? Let us know in the comments which of the two images you find more believable.
