Amidst anticipated changes in Apple's leadership, it is stated that the company needs to introduce a more powerful and user-friendly artificial intelligence product suitable for daily use.
The editorial board, citing WIRED Middle East, reports that after Tim Cook steps down from Apple's leadership to become the company's executive chairman, the primary responsibility will fall to John Ternus. According to WIRED's analysis, Ternus's number one task will be to create a "killer" AI product for Apple.
John Ternus is currently Apple's Senior Vice President of Hardware Engineering. He has been involved in the development of the company's core devices for many years and is known within Apple as a calm, methodical, and technically oriented leader.
WIRED writes that Tim Cook successfully led Apple after Steve Jobs, but left open the question of how the company would lead in the AI era. Although Apple Intelligence was announced with a major presentation in 2024, it did not fully meet expectations, and several features were delayed.
The problem for Apple is not just creating a better chatbot. The issue is transforming AI into something as convenient, intuitive, and integral to daily life for the average user as Mac, iPhone, iPod, and Apple Watch.
According to WIRED's analysis, artificial intelligence still appears either technical or risky to many people. While Claude Code and other agent technologies are powerful, they are still complex for the general user. Apple's opportunity lies precisely here: transforming AI into a simple and reliable product for the mass market.
An AI agent is a system that understands a user's task, plans, and can execute several steps on its own. WIRED writes that in the future, instead of separately opening the Uber or Lyft app, people might simply tell their personal AI agent, "take me home." The agent could even understand where the user needs to go in advance and call a car itself.
This change poses a direct threat to Apple's iPhone ecosystem. The current mobile world is built on applications. If, in the future, users delegate everything to an agent instead of navigating between apps, the "there's an app for that" model could weaken.
WIRED notes that if Apple doesn't manage this transition itself, another company might. News about a new AI device being developed jointly by OpenAI and Jony Ive also increases pressure on Apple.
Apple's leadership, however, believes that the iPhone will remain the primary device for a long time. The company's head of marketing, Greg Joswiak, told WIRED that iPhones are not going anywhere. However, the analysis emphasizes that even if the iPhone remains, the core interface operating within it could change.
One of Apple's advantages is its custom chip strategy. The company's own processors have become the main power source for Macs, iPhones, and iPads over the past decade. Apple devices already have dedicated blocks for AI computations called neural engines.
According to WIRED, Apple's big AI move could involve more powerful neural engines and on-device personal agents. This could enable the creation of a smarter AI experience while protecting privacy, without sending user data to the cloud.
In this regard, Johny Srouji's role also comes to the fore. He is considered the chief architect of Apple's chip strategy and will succeed Ternus as Senior Vice President of Hardware Engineering. This change indicates that chip and device integration will become even more crucial in Apple's AI plans.
WIRED writes that the task facing Apple is to replicate for the AI era what the iPhone did for the mobile era. That is, the company must not only present technology but create a product that people will use without wondering "how does this work?"
This is also the main test for Ternus. He must be able to combine Apple's long-established advantages in hardware, design, chips, and privacy with AI agents. Otherwise, Apple could become a company that follows the next technological era but does not define it.
In conclusion, WIRED's analysis offers a simple warning to Apple: Tim Cook kept the company stable and profitable, but winning the AI era will be Ternus's job. The clock is ticking, and Apple does not have the luxury of being late this time.