Today, a lively chat with Mark Gurman, acclaimed Apple reporter and Bloomberg’s principal correspondent, sheds light on Apple’s interesting trajectory under its new CEO, John Ternus. After a decade or so defining the ‘iPhone era’, Apple looks set to shift gears and navigate down the intriguing pathway of the Artificial Intelligence (AI) era.
John Ternus took the reins as CEO, succeeding Tim Cook, just as Apple was preparing to host its annual iPhone hardware event. This year’s event stood out for more than one reason. For starters, it marked Ternus’s inaugural product launch – the unveiling of the iPhone Duo, the first-ever foldable smartphone from Apple. Coincidentally, or perhaps not, this was also right after Ternus took over the CEO post.
Observers heard from Gurman that Apple was staking a lot on these high-profile hardware events, not only for the gadgets themselves but for the narratives and signals they send out to the world. For instance, Gurman argues that the company’s evolution from the iPhone-dominated era to the new AI era reflects a nuanced shift in Apple’s internal culture and leadership style.
Gurvman’s extensive knowledge of Apple stems from his role as Bloomberg’s chief correspondent where he constantly offers insightful input on the company’s futures and decisions. A discussion around the new management style under Ternus gives an insight into what may change and what may likely remain the same.
According to Gurman, there was little to differentiate Ternus’s first event from how Tim Cook might have hosted it. Both executives seemed perfectly suited for the task. However, Gurman acknowledges that Ternus struck out boldly with his strong emphasis on AI, something which stood out in his maiden address.
Beyond his opinions about AI, an intriguing trait that separates Ternus from his predecessor emerged during an analysis of his leadership style. Gurman suggested that Ternus, unlike Cook, was not averse to making unilateral decisions if situations demanded them.
This stance was evident during Ternus’s speech about AI, a subject, Gurman admitted, he did not entirely see eye to eye with the CEO on. Nonetheless, Gurman applauded the fact that Ternus did not shy away from stating his perspective, even if it risked conflicting with popular opinions.
While musing on Apple’s AI strategy, Gurman reflected on the strange cocktail of achievements and shortfalls since the introduction of Apple Intelligence at WWDC two years ago. The story of Apple’s tryst with AI finally found a coherent narrative at the recent event. Regardless of the degree of consensus on the narrative, Gurman found it commendable that Apple had taken a stance and presented it cogently.
When the iPhone Duo was unveiled during the event, both Gurman and I couldn’t help but appreciate Apple’s knack for spinning a yarn about its products, drawing the audience into its tech universe. However, both of us were slightly sceptical about the juxtaposition of an “intelligent personal hub” against the backdrop of AI’s wide-scale use in cloud services.
Despite this, Gurman noted that Apple was adept at crafting the best stories possible around whatever product or concept it had at its disposal. That said, the absence of any new, noteworthy AI feature during the grand iPhone event in 2026 seemed peculiar. We agreed that despite Ternus’s firm assertions on AI, the iPhone, as it is, might not be the ideal AI device.
Wrapping up the conversation, Gurman suggests that Apple continues to extol what it already has while subtly steering the narrative in the direction they wish to head in the future. In the case of AI, Apple is laying the groundwork for its course until it introduces a game-changing device, after which it will likely pivot the narrative. It’s a crafty strategy, he adds, that speaks to Apple’s highly narrative-driven modus operandi.
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