Last night, a major event occurred in the tech world that could impact the daily lives of many of us: Apple’s CEO, Tim Cook, has finally decided to step down and pass the torch to his successor—John Ternus. As someone who relies on Apple products every single day, I’m deeply interested in how this change will affect future user experiences and the future direction of Apple, one of the world’s most valuable companies. I read through Tim Cook’s farewell letter, and its core message was deeply emotional. He said that for the past 15 years, he had started nearly every morning in the same way: reading messages from Apple users around the globe, sharing snippets of their lives. For him, this departure isn’t a goodbye—it’s an expression of gratitude. His words were heartfelt and authentic—classic Cook. Regarding his successor, John Ternus, Cook described him as “an exceptional engineer and thinker,” and the right person to lead Apple. After researching Ternus’s background, I found him to be truly compelling: 💚 Technically skilled with a human-centered approach Ternus graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in mechanical engineering. Back in 1997, his senior project was a robotic feeding arm designed to help people with paralysis control it through head movements. Even then, he was already advocating for the integration of technology and human compassion. 💚 Deeply experienced with a bias toward innovation A longtime Apple veteran, Ternus joined Apple in 2001 as an entry-level product designer for Mac displays. By 2013, he had risen to Vice President of Hardware Engineering. In 2021, he became Senior Vice President—the youngest member of Apple’s executive team at the time. Ternus led the entire hardware transition to Apple Silicon, the creation of AirPods, and the technical architecture behind Vision Pro. He possesses a profound understanding of chip-hardware-software synergy. 💚 Apple is attempting to return to a technology-first path When Steve Jobs led Apple with his charisma, Cook took over and transformed it into a highly efficient commercial machine. He expertly capitalized on globalization, excelled at government relations and supplier negotiations, and guided Apple through years of steady growth to reach its peak market value. But things have changed: 1. AI has fallen behind: Apple’s progress in AI is noticeably behind Google and OpenAI; its own Apple Intelligence has received lukewarm reactions. 2. Innovation has become niche: Projects like Vision Pro remain high-end curiosities rather than mainstream essentials that integrate into everyday life. The advantage of placing Ternus at the helm is that, unlike Cook’s more conservative approach, Ternus is an engineer at heart. He brings stronger technical integration skills, clearer professional vision for technology direction, and deeper involvement in product development decisions. In short: Apple’s hardware innovation may accelerate. For those of us who have longed for Apple to move beyond incremental “toothpaste-style” updates and instead deliver bold, transformative breakthroughs—this is undoubtedly good news. Whether Ternus can redefine product categories the way Jobs did remains to be seen—but I truly, truly miss the feeling of staying up all night waiting for Apple’s keynote to reveal its next surprise. The world already has too many dull corporations obsessed solely with shareholder returns. Let’s have something exciting again.