Apple's New CEO John Ternus To Put Focus Back On Design After Takeover; Next Year's Line-up May Be Called iPhone 20

Apple's incoming chief executive John Ternus has his work cut out for him on the design front, even as the company lines up one of its most ambitious product road maps in years for 2027, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman in his latest Power On newsletter.

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Gurman argues that Apple's design influence, visible historically not just in hardware and software but also in packaging and retail outlets, has become less coherent than it once was, despite the company's continued operational efficiency and record profits.

Apple's design influence, once visible across hardware, software, packaging and retail experiences, has become increasingly fragmented, even as products remain premium and carefully manufactured. The unified design philosophy that shaped earlier generations has weakened, with hardware families feeling less connected and software facing criticism for prioritising visual changes over clarity and usability.

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Today, Apple reportedly has no executive occupying the kind of senior design leadership position once held by Jony Ive, a shift that has led observers to question whether the company has lost the design-focused culture that helped make its products stand out.

Ternus's hardware background, and his promise on design

Ternus, 51, joined Apple in 2001 and rose through the hardware engineering ranks, eventually overseeing product engineering for major lines including the Mac, iPad and iPhone, giving him deep knowledge of hardware development, manufacturing and Apple's custom silicon strategy. His appointment signals confidence in product expertise rather than a leader focused primarily on finance or services. But moving from an engineering and execution role into setting the company's overall creative direction will be a major test of his leadership.

According to Gurman's reporting, Ternus has told staff that Apple will keep focusing on design, calling it core to what the company does, a line that sounds like continuity but carries an undertone of reform, since Apple's design influence had diminished relative to engineering and operations in the later Cook years.

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Gurman's piece also notes that Ternus has been spending more time with the company's industrial design teams, a development that matters given design has historically been one of Apple's biggest strengths in shaping products from the iPhone and Mac to the Apple Watch.

The real story: a jam-packed 2027

The most striking part of Gurman's column, however, is what he says is coming in 2027, a year he frames as Apple's biggest product swing in over a decade.

Apple's 2027 line-up is expected to include camera-equipped AirPods, smart glasses, a sequel to its foldable smartphone, and the iPhone 20. Apple is reportedly planning special devices to mark the iPhone's 20th anniversary, potentially including an iPhone 20 Pro and iPhone 20 Pro Max alongside a second-generation foldable iPhone.

The iPhone overhaul fits into a longer-running plan Gurman has tracked for months: Apple is in the middle of a three-year plan to "reinvent" the look and feel of the iPhone, covering the redesigned iPhone 17 Pro models and the all-new iPhone Air in September 2025, a foldable iPhone in September 2026, and a special 20th-anniversary iPhone in September 2027.

Beyond the phone itself, Gurman's road map includes Apple's wearables push. Apple is planning new AirPods with cameras 'for Siri,' and because these are expected to be priced above the current AirPods Pro 3 (which sells for $249), the company is reportedly considering 'AirPods Ultra' branding for them. On glasses, Apple is developing at least four different styles of smart glasses and is betting that superior design, built from a high-end material called acetate, said to be more durable and luxurious than the standard alternative, will set the products apart from rivals.

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Why this is the real test for Ternus

According to Gurman, the throughline across all these launches is that each one functions as a delivery vehicle for Apple's broader AI ambitions - camera AirPods built to give Siri visual context, smart glasses pushing Apple into ambient computing, and a reinvented iPhone chassis built around Apple Intelligence's next generation.

Gurman's central argument, as summarised in coverage of the column, is that traditional design thinking alone won't be enough for this shift. Apple's future AI agents will require interfaces built around delegation and context awareness rather than traditional menus and touch interactions, and Ternus will need to strengthen the company's design leadership early in his tenure if these ambitious products are to land.

Ternus is set to officially take over as Apple CEO from Tim Cook in September 2026, coinciding with the iPhone 18's launch.

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