Apple’s first major presentation without Tim Cook in more than a decade is approaching, but the spotlight will extend far beyond the stage.

At Apple’s annual presentation, scheduled for September 9, the company will for the first time in more than a decade be represented by someone other than Tim Cook. The year’s biggest event will mark John Ternus’s debut as chief executive officer.

As highlighted by CNN

The new leader is taking the helm of Apple at a time when the iPhone maker must accelerate its transition into the era of artificial intelligence. In July, the company’s market capitalization surpassed $5 trillion, so investors expect not only strong financial results but also new products capable of defining the next stage of the technology market’s development.

Artificial intelligence will be the biggest test

John Ternus’s engineering background could have a significant impact on Apple’s future strategy. For years, the company built its ecosystem around its own devices, chips, software, and services. Now it needs to ensure that these products work better with artificial intelligence while remaining simple and secure for users.

One of the most important tasks will be relaunching Siri. The upgraded assistant is expected to analyze information from messages and photos on an iPhone, respond to personalized requests, find details about doctor’s appointments or restaurant reservations, perform actions within apps, and understand what is happening on the device’s screen.

It was a major failure. It’s good that the company is now moving in the right direction, but the success could have been much greater for Apple.

– Gene Munster

Another potentially important product could be a foldable iPhone. According to the International Data Corporation, Apple could capture 40% of the foldable smartphone market by 2027. At the same time, the company is entering this segment several years behind Samsung and China’s Huawei.

Analysts believe that the arrival of a foldable iPhone could not only increase the popularity of this device category but also influence the direction of its future development. For Apple, it would also be an opportunity to show the market that the company can create fundamentally new product formats.

A memory shortage could push prices higher

John Ternus will also have to operate amid a global memory shortage. Data centers have sharply increased demand for components that provide fast access to stored information. This has driven up the cost of such components significantly and placed additional pressure on electronics manufacturers.

Apple, Nintendo, and Microsoft have already raised prices on some of their products. In July, iPads, Macs, and other Apple devices became more expensive, while the price of the iPhone remained unchanged at that time.

We’re experiencing what I would call a once-in-a-century flood in the memory market: prices are rising exponentially.

– Tim Cook

Analyst Mike Howard predicts that, to maintain profitability, the company may need to raise smartphone prices by approximately $250–$300. Such a move could make the new models significantly more expensive for buyers.

We should start thinking about a $1,500 iPhone instead of models priced at $1,000 or $1,200.

– Mike Howard

European rules are making the ecosystem harder to operate

Another challenge for the new leader will be regulatory pressure from the European Union. Apple has already changed the way the App Store operates to comply with European requirements. At the same time, the updated Siri will not work on iPhones and iPads in EU countries because of restrictions related to European Commission requirements.

The European regulator wants to give third-party artificial intelligence assistants broader access to iOS and Android systems. Apple and Google argue that such changes could create privacy risks. Experts, meanwhile, warn of another problem: excessive powers granted to artificial intelligence could give it access to sensitive content on smartphones and computers.

According to Michael Stokes, an artificial intelligence system could use the user’s delegated permissions to carry out actions they never actually intended. At the same time, the European Commission has indicated that mechanisms could be introduced to protect privacy, security, and data integrity.

John Ternus faces a dual task: preserving the profitable business model built during Tim Cook’s tenure while restoring Apple’s ability to surprise the market. The company’s scale and deep presence in the daily lives of millions of people mean that ordinary incremental updates may not be enough. The new chief executive will have to prove that Apple is ready not only to improve its existing products but also to initiate a new technological breakthrough.