An Apple store in Chengdu, Southwest China's Sichuan Province. Photo: IC

Apple has announced a major leadership reshuffle, with Tim Cook set to step down as chief executive in September and hardware veteran John Ternus taking over the top role. Industry analysts point out that the new leadership will likely place greater emphasis on product-driven innovation and is expected to keep attaching great importance to the China market and role of its supply chain in innovation.

Apple revealed a landmark leadership shuffle on Monday. Effective September 1, 2026, Cook will serve as executive chairman of Apple’s board, while John Ternus, senior vice president of hardware engineering, will become the company’s new CEO, according to a release on Apple’s official website.

Cook will continue in his role as CEO through the summer as he works closely with Ternus on a smooth transition. As executive chairman, Cook will assist with certain aspects of the company, including engaging with policymakers around the world, according to the release.
 
A long-time Apple insider, Ternus joined the firm’s product design team in 2001. He was promoted to vice president of Hardware Engineering in 2013 and entered Apple’s top executive team in 2021. Over the years, he supervised hardware development for Apple devices, played a vital role in launching iPad and AirPods, and oversaw successive generations of iPhone, Mac and Apple Watch, according to the release.
 
Cook joined Apple in 1998 and became CEO in 2011. Under his leadership, Apple’s market capitalization surged from $350 billion to $4 trillion. Its annual revenue nearly quadrupled from $108 billion in fiscal year 2011 to over $416 billion in fiscal year 2025, according to the release.
 
The leadership transition quickly drew widespread attention on Chinese social media platform Weibo. Some acknowledged Cook’s achievements as a seasoned executive, while many netizens wondered whether Ternus can revive Apple’s innovative spirit.

“Cook can be regarded as one of the greatest professional enterprise managers in history, who drove an explosive surge in Apple’s market value. However, if there are drawbacks Apple has lacked innovative sprit in recent years. Besides, Apple lagged behind peers in the AI era and failed to keep pace with the global automotive manufacturing trend,” commented one Chinese netizen.
 
"With a new CEO at the helm, can Apple regain its innovative momentum and recreate the miracles seen in Jobs' era?" asked another Chinese netizen.

China remained a key market for Apple. According to Apple’s Q1 fiscal 2026 financial results ending December 27, 2025, the company recorded quarterly revenue of $143.8 billion, a 16 percent year-on-year increase. Revenue in Greater China grew 38 percent year-over-year, driven by iPhone, which had record upgraders and double-digit growth on switchers, Cook said in Apple’s Q1 2026 financial call.
 
That said, Apple also faces fierce competition in the Chinese market. Its Greater China revenue totaled $64.4 billion in fiscal year 2025, an 11 percent drop from the previous two years’ level. Nonetheless, Greater China remains Apple’s third-largest revenue region worldwide, Yicai reported.
 
Liu Dingding, a veteran technology industry expert, told the Global Times on Tuesday that Apple has faced some notable challenges in recent years. It has yet to launch a cross-era revolutionary new product, its progress in AI technology has not kept pace with its own scale, and its autonomous driving project encountered difficulties before eventually being discontinued. The promotion of a senior executive with a product and technology background to take over as CEO also signals that Apple will continue to adhere to its product-centric strategy.

Now that Ternus has taken the baton, he faces both opportunities and challenges. Currently, Apple maintains a steady overall market trend, but the global smartphone industry has long hit a growth ceiling, with shipments of major brands generally declining. Whether Apple will continue to focus on incremental upgrades of the iPhone in the future, or actively expand into new areas such as smart cars and AI and build a new long-term growth engine, will all be the biggest tests for the new CEO, Liu added.

Experts believe that while focusing on global product layout, Ternus will likely continue to attach great importance to the Chinese market, just as Cook did.

Cook visited China multiple times every year. During a trip to China in March, he emphasized the importance of the Chinese market and local supply chains to Apple. He said Apple focuses not only on supply chains and manufacturing, but also on automating and putting as AI into the factories as possible.

It is highly likely that Ternus will follow Tim Cook’s approach and continue to maintain regular, close and friendly interactions with the Chinese market, as Apple’s products rely heavily on manufacturing in China, and China is also one of Apple’s top three consumer markets globally, Liu said.