Ternus aims to revitalize Apple's design Apfelpatient

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The change at the top of Apple could bring about more than just a name change in the CEO's office. According to a recent report, the incoming CEO, John Ternus, intends to give the design team significantly more weight again – after years in which its influence is said to have noticeably diminished.

On September 1st, hardware engineer John Ternus will take over as CEO of Apple. Even before his official start date, his priorities are becoming clear. A central focus is the role of the design team, whose importance within the company has apparently diminished recently. These indications come from the latest Power On newsletter by Bloomberg journalist Mark Gurman, which traces developments over the past ten years.

How design lost influence during the Cook era

According to Gurman, the influence of the design department at the executive level declined during Tim Cook's 15 years at the helm. This trend was fueled by the departure of chief designer Jony Ive and other staff departures, while finance and operations departments increasingly influenced product direction. After Ive's departure, oversight of the design team initially fell to then-COO Jeff Williams – a move that in itself represented a break with the previous structure.

When design still set the pace

The central role once played by the design department can be traced back to 2011. In Walter Isaacson's biography of Steve Jobs, Jobs is quoted as saying that Ive had more operational influence than anyone else at Apple - except himself. Ive's industrial design team dictated the company's product roadmap from the top down. Apple is a far cry from that situation today.

Currently without a top-level design director

According to the report, the design department has now fallen behind the operations division. Apple currently has no high-ranking design role within its core leadership; only recently were Molly Anderson and Steve Lemay added to the official management team as design leaders. This is precisely where Ternus is expected to make a difference.

Ternus seeks proximity to the design team

As the incoming CEO, Ternus is likely to be more involved in product development than Cook was. According to Gurman, he wants to restore some of the design team's former authority and has already spent considerable time with the industrial design department while preparing for his new role. Ternus is also quoted as saying that the most beautifully designed object owned by most customers is an Apple product – and he intends to ensure it stays that way.

The first major appearance: the foldable iPhone

Apple's PR department is already positioning Ternus as the face of recent design successes like the MacBook Neo. His first major public appearance as CEO is expected this fall, when he is slated to unveil the new foldable iPhone at a media event – a product that will immediately serve as a testament to the company's announced design focus.

A change of course with a signal effect

Should the described course of action be confirmed, it would be more than just a personnel change. A CEO with a hardware and product background who deliberately strengthens the design team would be building on a tradition that has made Apple great for years. At the same time, the timing coincides with a period in which the company already intends to set design standards with a foldable iPhone and other innovations. How serious Ternus is about this upgrade should therefore become clear with his first products. (Image: Apple)