What John Ternus told me a decade ago and why I'm convinced he's the CEO Apple needs now | Tech Radar

Overview

News, deals, reviews, guides and more on the newest computing gadgets

Start exploring exclusive deals, expert advice and more

Details

Unlock and manage exclusive Techradar member rewards.

What John Ternus told me a decade ago and why I'm convinced he's the CEO Apple needs now

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Unlock instant access to exclusive member features.

Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards.

The first time I interviewed John Ternus was a decade ago to discuss the new Mac Book. Like the Mac Book Neo before it, this tiny, 12-inch, 2-lb laptop was a departure for Apple. It was packed with unusual and innovative design decisions, and John Ternus, who will step in as Apple's CEO in September, was anxious to talk about it.

By then, Ternus had already been at Apple for 15 years and was heading up Mac and i Pad hardware. He struck me as smart, affable, and, with some quick wit.

Thinking back to that meeting, and subsequent chats, including our most recent sit-down shortly after Apple unveiled another hardware design stretch — the i Phone Air — I realize that in my quest to understand the kind of Apple CEO Ternus will be, I may already have all the information I need.

Apple after Tim Cook — John Ternus will take the helm at a pivotal moment

5 things John Ternus won’t change as Apple CEO (and 2 things he might)

Who is John Ternus? 5 surprising facts that show he isn't Tim Cook 2.0

There were a handful of exchanges in which Ternus' way of thinking and working, and his view of the company he'll soon helm, were on full display.

The reveals started with that Mac Book chat, in which Ternus explained the laptop's then-unique speaker and antenna design. The challenge was to somehow fit excellent speakers and antennas into a really small space.

"We realized we could not create a great antenna and a great speaker because we'd be compromising," Ternus told me in 2015. "Both of those elements need space. Antenna elements are small, but they need cavity; they need space to resonate."

I don't know if this was Ternus's idea, but he fully supported bringing Apple's antenna and speaker teams together to create a new solution.

"We absolutely married them together to make this happen," Ternus explained.

I recall Ternus then somewhat gleefully showing me the unusual configuration as he told me, "We ended up with a group of antenna engineers who know more about speakers than any other antenna engineers and a group of speaker engineers who knew more about antenna design than just about anyone else in the world."

A decade later, Ternus told me and Tom's Guide Global Editor in Chief Mark Spoonauer this: "As we develop new technologies and pieces, we often take inspiration for things across other product lines."

Tim Cook stepping down at Apple, John Ternus will become new CEO

'This is not goodbye': Tim Cook says he's not walking away from Apple

‘He is a once-in-a-thousand-years kind of person’: Tim Cook explains how the Steve Jobs reality distortion field convinced him to join Apple

It's clear that the collaborative spirit, one that occasionally throws open the doors between departments and allows the best ideas to flourish and generate new concepts, will continue under Ternus' leadership.

Perhaps Ternus appreciates that collaboration so much because it provides a level of stability he may crave.

"One of the amazing things for me is how stable things stay from first models that we make to the products that we ship,” he told me in 2015.

It's clear from these exchanges that Ternus is probably not prone to wild flights of fancy and does not enjoy harsh left and right turns along the product development path.

The sentiment is echoed somewhat in what Ternus shared with Spoonauer and me last year after the i Phone Air launch: "I think the reality is that the best invention in engineering comes from constraints."

Now, I get that Ternus was referring to the physical constraints present in the ultra-thin i Phone Air, but there is also a hint there that Ternus might like to set up product development frameworks and then work within them to achieve the best results from the design and engineering teams.

There is, however, evidence of flexibility. In 2015, Ternus explained a particular ethos at Apple revolving around the word "No."

“There’s ‘No’s’ in some way. There’s ‘No’s’ about what we do, but in terms of how we do it — going and making the best product, there really aren’t a lot of ‘No’s.’ That’s one of the great joys of working here. [For] something really compelling, we can afford to make it happen.”

The other thing I picked up from that comment is just how much Ternus loves Apple. According to his Linked In profile, it's really only the second place he's ever worked. Maybe even more so than Tim Cook when he took over as CEO in 2011 (after about 14 years with the company), Ternus is a product of Apple.

Discipline, Collaboration, long-term integration, saying no at the right times so you can say yes, all elements that should make John Ternus a particularly product-focused CEO who knows the Apple way and how to get things done.

He may have a blind spot or two when it comes to pure-play business, the supply chain, and geopolitical pressures, but when it comes to the gadgets consumers care about most, they probably couldn't ask for a better replacement for Tim Cook.

Follow Tech Radar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds.

A 38-year industry veteran and award-winning journalist, Lance has covered technology since PCs were the size of suitcases and “on line” meant “waiting.” He’s a former Lifewire Editor-in-Chief, Mashable Editor-in-Chief, and, before that, Editor in Chief of PCMag.com and Senior Vice President of Content for Ziff Davis, Inc. He also wrote a popular, weekly tech column for Medium called The Upgrade.

Lance Ulanoff makes frequent appearances on national, international, and local news programs including Live with Kelly and Mark, the Today Show, Good Morning America, CNBC, CNN, and the BBC.

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

1 It’s finally happened — renewable energy just overtook coal as the world’s main source of electricity as solar growth hits 'the largest ever observed for any source'

2 Quordle hints and answers for Thursday, April 23 (game #1550)

3NYT Strands hints and answers for Thursday, April 23 (game #781)

4NYT Connections hints and answers for Thursday, April 23 (game #1047)

5I counted every gadget in my home for Earth Day — and the results surprised me

Tech Radar is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Key Takeaways

• News, deals, reviews, guides and more on the newest computing gadgets

• Start exploring exclusive deals, expert advice and more

• Unlock and manage exclusive Techradar member rewards

• What John Ternus told me a decade ago and why I'm convinced he's the CEO Apple needs now

• When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission