In his first in-depth public interview, Apple's new CEO John Ternus has laid out a product vision that prioritizes engineering perfection over being first to market, signaling a clear direction for the company's future.

Sitting down with tech publication Tom's Guide at Apple Park just one week into his tenure, following the eagerly awaited annual iPhone event on September 11, 2026, the 25-year Apple engineering veteran addressed pressing topics including the AI wearables rush, data privacy boundaries, future growth prospects, and the company's debut foldable device, the iPhone Duo.

Describing the responsibility of leading one of the world's most prominent tech giants as an "extraordinary privilege," Ternus, a former hardware chief, expressed genuine excitement about the path ahead. He shared, "It's in my blood. I still get goosebumps... I'm incredibly excited about the future."

An Engineer at the Helm: Roadmap Inspires 'Incredible Excitement'

Officially assuming the CEO role last week, Ternus becomes the first engineer by background to lead Apple. He admitted to feeling a thrilling sense of anticipation, stating, "It's an extraordinary honor. I've spent half my life here, and I love the people and the products we build together."

Rebuffing the narrative that his engineering background signals a "reignition" of innovation, Ternus argued that Apple's innovative streak has remained unbroken, with AI representing the most significant current catalyst. "AI opens the door to new categories, and we are incredibly excited about our roadmap," he explained, pointing to the new "Smart Take" auto-capture feature on iPhones as a prime example of AI enabling previously impossible experiences.

The launch of the iPhone Duo, Apple's first foldable device released in tandem with the iPhone cycle, marks the first major product bet of the Ternus era. Analysts see Apple's deliberate entry into the foldable arena—only after the segment had matured—as reflecting his engineering philosophy: willingly facing criticism for being "late" to ensure that hinge durability, thinness, and system-level interactions reach industrial-grade perfection before a true market debut.

When questioned about the competitive landscape, Ternus credited Apple's edge to the seamless fusion of hardware, software, and services. "What I love is when those things come together to create an experience far greater than the sum of its parts," he said—a statement that serves both as a subtle rejoinder to rivals and a clear articulation of his core decision-making logic: not competing on feature firsts, but defining the endgame through a holistic user experience.

iPhone Remains Central: Reaffirming the 'Personal Hub' Strategy

Against the backdrop of intensifying competition in AI-powered wearables, Ternus explicitly dismissed any speculation that Apple is pivoting its core focus away from smartphones. "The phone is a near-perfect device," he asserted. "It's powerful, has great battery life, and offers a display. Humans process visual information far more efficiently than audio, and it still fits in your pocket."

He further emphasized that as AI capabilities expand, user control over personal data becomes increasingly vital. Ternus stressed, "All your personal information lives on a device you hold and control. Apple doesn't have access to it, and we don't want it. It's your data." While noting that the Apple Watch and AirPods serve as excellent AI devices, he characterized them as a complementary ecosystem built around the iPhone, rather than replacements for it.

Privacy Hardwired into Silicon: A Direct Challenge to Wearable Market Debates

Addressing the privacy controversies surrounding AI-enabled eyewear from competitors like Meta, Ternus used the latest audio intelligence feature on the Apple Watch to illustrate how Apple embeds privacy protections at the hardware architecture level.

Apple has confirmed this feature generates no recordings and retains no text transcriptions—even the user cannot retrieve them. To achieve this, the company designed a new chip specifically for the Apple Watch featuring a dedicated security enclave (exclave), where audio data exists only for the instantaneous moment of processing before being destroyed. Apple's Senior VP of Hardware Engineering, Jazz, elaborated, "If we don't have a recording, then nobody does. It can't be hacked, and it can't be subpoenaed."

This design rationale directly counters concerns about AI-driven voice recording features potentially infringing on user privacy. Ternus affirmed that privacy and security remain the foundational design considerations for any new market Apple enters, hinting that this principle will equally guide the company's potential future ventures into AI wearables.