The online world is buzzing with the news that Apple is going to have a new chief executive later this year. Tim Cook has announced that in September, he’ll be handing over the reins to John Ternus, who is currently Senior Vice President of Hardware Engineering at Apple.
In short, Ternus is head hardware honcho across all Apple’s products, but not for much longer, as the big promotion is less than half a year away.
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What he is, by all accounts, is a reliable presence, and a steady hand — with a similar temperament to Tim Cook — to take over the rudder of the company and steer it through whatever choppy waters the RAM crisis may bring for the remainder of this decade. He’s also 50 years old, which, interestingly enough, is the exact same age at which Cook took the top job at Apple back in 2011.
1. The hardware guy who started in VR
While John Ternus may have a measured and more risk-averse demeanour (as Bloomberg reports), which is close to Tim Cook’s nature, one clear difference is that he’s an engineer at heart. Ternus has been intimately involved with the ins and outs of hardware in his career, and the hope of many is that the presence of an engineer in the CEO job is going to be reflected in the design and implementation of future Apple products.
Given his background, when it comes to top-level decisions, Ternus should be in a better position to understand the nuts and bolts of what Apple is trying to do with its hardware. And interestingly, his first job after leaving university was with a VR company. From 1997 through 2001, before he joined Apple, Ternus was a mechanical engineer at Virtual Research Systems, working on VR headsets. Bear in mind that this was still early days for VR, of course.
For one thing, this experience should give Ternus a unique position and understanding to help develop the Vision Pro headset, which has certainly had its issues (notably the price tag, though it’s making strides of late as an entertainment powerhouse).
2. Robotic arm
Before Virtual Research Systems, Ternus attended the University of Pennsylvania, where his senior project was a mechanical ‘feeding arm’, as Apple Insider reports. This was an invention for quadriplegics that could be controlled by their head movements.
It’s interesting to note that Apple has a rumored project in the works, which consists of a robotic arm with a screen attached, and Ternus would be a very well-informed CEO for this venture. Mind you, Apple’s tabletop robot is just a theory and is likely years away (if it ever comes to fruition). But still, it’s another interesting element of potential product-based synergy with the appointment of Ternus.
3. Rush to the top
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As highlighted on Reddit, apparently, Ternus is a fan of the rock band Rush. This comes from what’s reportedly his yearbook quote: “Some are born to move the world to live their fantasies.”
It’s a lyric taken from the song “Losing It” by Rush, and seemingly, Ternus isn’t the only Rush fan at Apple. Apparently, Craig Federighi may also enjoy hearing “The Spirit of Radio” or similar (as per Wikipedia), possibly singing the prog rock band’s hits at office karaoke parties. (But not Tim Cook — well, I’m guessing, and presumably not all of Apple’s top execs are Rush addicts, unless that’s a hitherto hidden qualification for entrance to the C-suite inner circle).
4. The other side of Ternus
If you think Ternus might be a typical hardware nerd, think again. As Fortune reports, he was quite the swimmer in his youth, and Ternus was an ‘all-time letter winner’ for the men’s swimming team at the University of Pennsylvania.
Bloomberg also highlighted that he’s a keen cycling enthusiast, and very much into car racing, seemingly taking Apple colleagues to upstate Washington for a spot of off-road rallying now and then. Underneath that calm exterior, then, there appears to be something of an adrenaline junkie.
5. Ternus has a LinkedIn page — of sorts
Unlike Tim Cook, Ternus does have a LinkedIn profile — but you’ve got to wonder why, seeing as it’s been left as a truly barebones effort.
Again, this was picked up by an eagle-eyed Redditor, who spied the page for Ternus, which is as sparse as can be (and is barely ever looked at by the incoming CEO, by all accounts — although most denizens of Reddit consider that to be a good thing, mind).
There wasn’t even a photo on the profile page when the Redditor took a screenshot, but interestingly, now there is — maybe Ternus will populate it a bit more thoroughly going forward. Or maybe the exec will just delete it. Watch that space.
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