NEW YORK - The future of Apple is being entrusted to a company veteran said to combine hardware brilliance with "the soul of an innovator."
John Ternus will take over as Apple chief executive in September, with Tim Cook becoming executive chairman of the iPhone maker's board of directors.
"John Ternus has the mind of an engineer, the soul of an innovator, and the heart to lead with integrity and with honour," Cook said when his successor was revealed.
"He is without question the right person to lead Apple into the future."
That claim was the subject of debate on Tuesday, with some wondering whether software skills were more vital to Apple's success given how artificial intelligence is shaking up the tech world.
"Despite popular opinion, I think hardware will be critical to AI uptake," said Creative Strategies analyst Carolina Milanesi.
"Hardware, especially silicon (chips), is what brings AI to life."
Ternus joined Apple's design team in 2001, working his way up to senior vice president of hardware engineering, reporting to Cook.
Ternus leads the engineering teams for Apple's product line-up, including the iPhones that account for most of its revenue and Mac computers with performance well-suited for AI tasks.
He earned a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Pennsylvania and worked as an engineer at Virtual Research Systems prior to joining Apple.
Ternus is credited with leading a drive to make Apple products more durable, reliable and resilient, as well as innovative designs that reduced their carbon footprint.
Picking Ternus as its next chief signals Apple prioritising market-calming corporate continuity over radical change, according to Francisco Jeronimo, vice president of client devices at market analytics firm IDC.
- AFP