Er wirkte blass und distanziert. Trotzdem hatte der neue Apple-Chef John Ternus einen guten ersten Auftritt

John Ternus made a bland and distant impression, yet his first major product presentation as Apple's new CEO was a success. Standing out from the crowd, it was fortuitous that he had the opportunity to showcase the foldable iPhone during his debut. Not every corporate leader needs to be a visionary to excite the masses, but Apple's standards are particularly high.

Each CEO is measured against the charismatic founder Steve Jobs, who expertly turned ordinary customers into die-hard fans. It was clear that Ternus would struggle to meet this benchmark, but some insiders were taken aback.

Ternus' demeanor during his first large-scale product unveiling appeared timid, colorless, and detached. The motto "Surprise and Shine" seemed fitting. Despite this, Apple's CEO demonstrated a strong start. As an experienced hardware development chief, he symbolizes continuity and Apple's engineering prowess. He doesn't need to be a showman.

Introducing a foldable smartphone, a segment previously dominated by competitors like Samsung, added weight to his debut. Of course, pricing the device at a minimum of $2000 is excessive, but many loyal Apple fans are accustomed to such costs. Products from other companies are irrelevant to them. Most importantly, Ternus can inherit a solid company.

Apple's lag in AI might seem like a disadvantage, but it could actually be a boon. The company avoids wasting resources on investments that may never yield returns. Meanwhile, Apple's products serve as the platform where many people want to utilize AI. This is also due to Apple's strong emphasis on protecting user privacy. This claim is likely to gain more significance as people increasingly reveal their reservations about AI chatbots.

At $4.85 trillion, Apple is worth more than Alphabet, Amazon, or Microsoft, which are far ahead in AI. If Ternus can maintain this lead, he will be worth his weight in gold. His performance on stage is where he can still improve. As Apple's new CEO, Ternus must keep shareholders on board by introducing new products, higher prices, and restraint in AI.

With his debut presentation of the iPhone's biggest change, new headphones, and smartwatches on the market, Ternus unveiled the largest transformation of the iPhone to date.