John Ternus makes design Apple’s top priority
Following a leadership change, design may once again play a more significant role in Apple’s strategy. The new CEO John Ternus works much more actively with the industrial design and user interface teams than Tim Cook.
According to Bloomberg, Ternus works personally in Apple’s design studio several times a week, and sometimes visits it multiple times a day. Sources familiar with the matter claim that Tim Cook appeared there significantly less often—about an hour once a month or even less frequently.
Ternus’s interest in this area stems from his professional background. He joined Apple in 2001 and has led hardware engineering since 2021. Even before his appointment as CEO, Ternus began overseeing the company’s design divisions, and after taking office, he began dedicating even more time to them.
At the same time, he remains deeply involved in device development and works regularly with the heads of hardware divisions. Ternus has largely left financial matters to CFO Kevan Parekh and the supply chain to COO Sabih Khan.
These changes come after several years of turnover in Apple’s design division. Following Jony Ive’s departure in 2019, the company no longer had a single leader overseeing both industrial design and interfaces. Later, other prominent designers also left Apple, including Evans Hankey and Alan Dye.
Currently, Molly Anderson leads industrial design, and Steve Lemay leads interface design. According to Bloomberg, Apple is not looking for a separate design chief, so Ternus has effectively taken on the role of a leader coordinating both areas.
This approach is especially important against the backdrop of Apple’s new products. The company has already unveiled the foldable iPhone Duo, and in the coming months, it is expected to release a significantly redesigned MacBook Pro with an OLED display and a touchscreen. For such devices, the design, materials, dimensions, and the interaction between hardware and the interface are of particular importance.
However, a full return to the management model of the Jony Ive era should not be expected. Ternus remains primarily an engineer, not a professional designer. Nevertheless, his direct involvement means that design is once again gaining significant influence over key product decisions within Apple.
