Tim Cook Confirms Final Apple Earnings Call as John Ternus Takes Over Sept. 1
Updated
Updated · MacRumors · Jul 31
Tim Cook Confirms Final Apple Earnings Call as John Ternus Takes Over Sept. 1
3 articles · Updated · MacRumors · Jul 31
Summary
Sept. 1 is the handoff date Cook confirmed for John Ternus to become Apple CEO, with Cook ending his tenure on what he said was his final earnings call.
Cook said the transition is going "seamlessly" and that he is highly confident in Ternus, Apple's executive team and the company's next phase.
Executive chairman will be Cook's new role after the change, a position he has said earlier this year he expects to hold "for a long time" while keeping Apple his top priority.
The leadership confirmation came alongside a strong June quarter in which Apple reported $109.4 billion in revenue and beat Wall Street expectations.
Will Apple's new hardware-focused CEO survive the brutal AI arms race without spending billions on infrastructure?
Are Apple's massive price hikes and new leasing program a brilliant inflation shield or a desperate move to mask falling demand?
What explosive trade secrets did OpenAI allegedly steal to trigger Apple's sudden lawsuit and abrupt shift to Google?
Apple’s $4.9 Trillion Challenge: Leadership Transition, AI-Driven Memory Crisis, and the Global Device Price Surge of 2026
Overview
Apple’s 2026 price hikes are rooted in a global memory crisis, triggered as tech giants outbid consumer brands for DRAM and manufacturers shift production to high-bandwidth memory for AI data centers. This shortage, combined with Apple’s on-device AI strategy requiring more RAM, forced Apple to raise prices on Macs and iPads. The resulting higher device costs have created an aspirational gap, leading many consumers—especially Millennials and Gen Z—to hold onto devices longer or turn to the refurbished market. Meanwhile, Apple is responding with supply chain negotiations, new leasing programs, and a focus on durable products to keep users in its ecosystem despite rising prices.