John Ternus enters, with folding phones and AI watches

John Ternus, Apple's new CEO, made his debut at the company's latest event with a lively introduction that paid homage to the iconic Steve Jobs era. The video featured a cinematic debate, with Tim Cook narrating his own entrance after playfully claiming Ternus as the star of the show. Apple Park was portrayed as a bustling hub of activity, rather than the deserted location often depicted in past introductions.

Ternus began by emphasizing the iPhone's crucial role in our digital lives, calling it an "intelligent personal hub" - a nod to Jobs's vision of the Mac as the center of a "digital hub" over 25 years ago. The CEO argued that the smartphone's unique features - constant presence, powerful processor, high-quality display, always-on connection, advanced sensors, and long-lasting battery - make it an indispensable tool that will remain relevant even in an AI-dominated future.

Apple Intelligence, which has been awaited for two years, was the star of the presentation. The new Siri AI assistant demonstrated impressive capabilities in providing information and performing tasks, while Apple's in-house processors offered a strong foundation for on-device AI. Ternus highlighted the company's focus on AI benchmarks and the potential for app developers to leverage Apple's on-device AI features to reduce reliance on cloud services, potentially enhancing privacy and performance.

Apple also unveiled two innovative AI-related initiatives: SynthID, a feature that tags AI-generated content, and Apple Reference Image, a system that cryptographically signs the original pixel data of iPhone photos to ensure their authenticity. The latter could provide a valuable tool for verifying the legitimacy of images, especially in an era where deepfakes and manipulated visuals are increasingly prevalent.