Ternus Takes Center Stage as Apple Prepares to Unveil Foldable iPhone

Apple's September 9 keynote will be a significant event as it marks John Ternus's first appearance in the Steve Jobs-style keynote format. The keynote is expected to headline Apple's first foldable iPhone, which analysts predict will ship around 10 million units in its first year.

Ternus took over as chief executive on September 1, following Tim Cook's transition to executive chairman. Bank of America analysts have framed the keynote as a test for Ternus, who must show Apple's hardware strength can carry into the AI era.

Apple is expected to refresh its Siri AI assistant and unveil new iPhone models, including the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max. The company will also showcase updated Apple Watch models. Woo Jin Ho, a senior hardware analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence, noted that Apple never had to be first to win the game, as it competes for different customer bases.

Industry experts welcome the added competition from Apple's foldable iPhone, saying it will help the category overall. Ternus has expressed his ambition to use artificial intelligence to shape Apple's internal product development, not just Siri.