April 20, 2026 at 6:31 PM PDT

At Code 2022, Recode's Kara Swisher led a roundtable memorial for Steve Jobs featuring Jony Ive, Laurene Powell Jobs and Tim Cook. Minutes after this photo, Cook would tell a fan to "buy your mom an iPhone."

David Lumb / CNET

In the coming days, there will be a lot said about Tim Cook's legacy at Apple, but one of his biggest impacts was seeing the company's products become status symbols.

Apple products were cool and big sellers when Tim Cook took over as CEO in 2011. But he focused on the iPhone as a new center of the company, using it as a beachhead for its new unified device ecosystem. Once the iPhone was in people's pockets, and then their friends' pockets, too, they discovered that their text conversations fell into two camps: blue with other iPhone owners, or green with Android owners.

Soon, more iMessage features expanded the divide between those paying more money for iPhones and those often paying less for Android devices, leading to the "green bubble" social stigma. Apple was in no rush to bridge this gap, and at Code 2022, I watched as Cook himself told a fan to "buy your mom an iPhone." 

Despite being pressured to add RCS for some extra messaging functionality between iPhones and Android devices back in 2024, the stigma persists, and iPhones have continued enjoying a social superiority in many markets. That's undoubtedly contributed to iPhone sales over the years, ensuring Apple's phones remain the company's highest-selling devices by a long shot. 

April 20, 2026 at 5:16 PM PDT

iCloud offers 5GB of free storage for mail, documents, and backup. Purchased music, apps, and books don't count against the 5GB.

Donald Bell/CNET

Tim Cook has been a steady presence at the company for 15 years. In a solemn handover just prior to Steve Jobs' death, Cook was initially hailed for his logistical prowess in manufacturing and shipping products.

Cook's tenure has seen the release of new products like the Apple Watch, the Mac Studio and Vision Pro, plus services like Apple TV, Fitness Plus and News Plus.

You know what else has been consistently steady during his entire tenure?

The free amount of iCloud storage, which started at 5GB and 15 years later is now...5GB. 

The top amounts (and prices) for storage have risen in that time, currently up to 12TB for $60 a month, but that base has stayed firm at 5GB. For just a buck more per month than the 5 GB plan, I think iCloud Plus with 50GB of storage is a worthwhile upgrade, but you may still find yourself looking for ways to stay within that limit. In the meantime, Google has upped its free storage to 15GB.

April 20, 2026 at 5:00 PM PDT

Tim Cook unveils the Apple Watch in 2014.

Justin Sullivan, Getty Images

Tim Cook replaced Steve Jobs in 2011, and after a period of uncertainty, Cook ushered Apple into its most profitable era. Cook oversaw a period of prosperity during which the company's market value soared to more than $3.6 trillion.

While Jobs got that ball rolling with the introduction of the iPhone in 2007, Cook expanded the Apple experience -- and the company's fortunes. Here's a list -- in no particular order -- of the five most significant Apple products and services introduced under Cook's leadership.

• Apple Watch
• AirPods
• Vision Pro
• AirTag
• Apple Music

April 20, 2026 at 5:05 PM PDT

Apple's AI efforts are still lagging behind competitors.

Numi Prasarn/CNET

Once Apple's incoming CEO John Ternus takes the reins, he'll have to face some looming challenges head-on.

Perhaps the biggest hurdle is maneuvering Apple's fledgling AI endeavors, which trail what other tech companies have launched in the last several years. The updated Siri that Apple promised back in 2024 has yet to surface, and Apple Intelligence pales in comparison to AI features from companies Google, Microsoft and OpenAI. Ternus will have to guide the company's approach on how and when to further execute its AI strategy. 

Regulatory pressures also hover, with the US Department of Justice and the European Union going after Apple's "walled garden" business model and accusing it of violating antitrust laws. Apple has refuted those claims, and it'll now be up to Ternus to lead efforts to protect that meticulously crafted ecosystem. 

Apple has been working to diversify its manufacturing by shifting production to India and Vietnam, especially as the Trump administration imposes high tariffs against China. And while Apple has said it plans to boost production in the US, shifting manufacturing is a long-term effort that now lies in Ternus' control. 

One of the most daunting tasks is fostering the legacy of innovation that has defined Apple -- and which some critics feel has stagnated in recent years. It's all in Ternus' hands now.

April 20, 2026 at 4:10 PM PDT

April 20, 2026 at 3:41 PM PDT

Apple CEO Tim Cook (left) and Steve Jobs (right) at an event in 2007.

James Martin/CNET

Fifteen years ago, Apple's last leadership transition was more somber. For years, off and on, Tim Cook had been stepping in to take on more of Apple's day-to-day operations as the ailing then-CEO Steve Jobs went on successive medical leaves before finally stepping down on Aug. 24, 2011. Two months later, Jobs died, and Cook began a new, uncertain era in Apple's history.

Jobs had been the public face of Apple when he stepped down -- the co-founder who was pushed out in the '80s and triumphantly returned in the '90s, renewing the company's reputation with the iMac in 1998 and redefining the mobile industry with the iPhone in 2007. 

Jobs' brash behavior was notorious, but so was his success in shaping Apple into a pugnacious underdog competitor to conventional consumer tech in style and user-friendly software. He earned headlines with his combative quotes to the press as well as his slick presentations and Stevenotes at WWDC and Macworld Expo. His "reality distortion field" led him to push for abrupt and severe changes that would seem impossible if they came from another executive. 

In short, Jobs was Apple, and his absence led to a lot of uncertainty about who could fill his shoes. By comparison, Cook was quieter, friendlier and a far less known quantity when he took over.

Cook had already been serving as Apple's chief operating officer for seven years when he officially became the company's CEO, but earlier in his career had held similar operational roles at rival computing companies Compaq and IBM. A logistics specialist wasn't who anyone expected to take over for the personality-driven Jobs, but his already proven ability to improve Apple's supply chain and improve margins across its entire product lineup was promising for folks at the top looking at the company through spreadsheets. 

In retrospect, the appointment was sound. Cook has overseen a decade and a half of wild financial growth, making Apple one of the highest-value companies on the planet and securing its role as an arbiter of consumer technology. While he made far fewer headlines, Cook was a stable presence at Apple. Especially in the early 2010s, pundits criticized Cook for not living up to Jobs' example as a gadget visionary, but his legacy includes successful forays into new product lines (Apple Watch, AirPods) and services. Now we look to see how Apple will change under incoming CEO John Ternus.

April 20, 2026 at 3:27 PM PDT

Johny Srouji, as seen during a virtual presentation in March 2022 amid the COVID lockdown.

Bloomberg/Getty Images

With John Ternus rising to the Apple CEO role to replace Tim Cook in September, the company has also elevated Johny Srouji to the new position of chief hardware officer, effective immediately.

Srouji was previously the senior vice president of hardware technologies. Ternus's position through Sept. 1 is senior vice president of hardware engineering. Srouji is taking command of all hardware.

In December, amid a group of high-level Apple exit announcements that included the head of user interface design Alan Dye and the head of artificial intelligence John Giannandrea, a rumor indicated that Srouji had told Cook that he, too, was considering leaving. Apple general counsel Kate Adams and vice president for environment, policy and social initiatives Lisa Jackson also announced retirements around the same time.

The sudden flood of departures is likely why Srouji publicly refuted the rumor in a memo to staff, as Bloomberg reported back in December. "I know you've been reading all kind of rumors and speculations about my future at Apple, and I feel that you need to hear from me directly," he wrote. "Together we enable the best products in the world. I love my team, and I love my job at Apple, and I don't plan on leaving anytime soon."

April 20, 2026 at 2:59 PM PDT

During his keynote for the iPad's debut, Steve Jobs showed a photo of himself and Steve Wozniak from the early days at the Apple Computer Company.

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

In its 50 years, Apple has had seven CEOs. When John Ternus takes over, he'll be the eighth. Here is a list of every CEO Apple has had:

1. Michael Scott (1977–1981): Prior to Apple, he was the director of manufacturing at National Semiconductor, a California-based company that made power management circuits.
2. Mike Markkula (1981–1983): Apple Computer's first investor and chairman.
3. John Sculley (1983–1993): Prior to Apple, he was PepsiCo's president.
4. Michael Spindler (1993–1996): Was president of Apple International before becoming CEO.
5. Gil Amelio (1996–1997): Prior to Apple, he was CEO at National Semiconductor.
6. Steve Jobs (1997–2011): Co-founded Apple Computer in 1976 along with Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne.
7. Tim Cook (2011–2026): Joined Apple in 1998. Prior to being CEO, he was the company's chief operating officer.

April 20, 2026 at 2:47 PM PDT

Tim Cook is stepping down as Apple CEO and moving into a new role at the tech company. But while the executive's last name is indeed Cook, you'll see plenty of social-media posts calling the 65-year-old "Tim Apple." 

The nickname comes from a viral moment involving President Donald Trump and a White House meeting of the American Workforce Policy Advisory Board in 2019.

"You've really put a big investment in our country," Trump said, as Cook nodded. "We appreciate it very much, Tim Apple."

A year earlier, Trump had referred to then-Lockheed Martin CEO Marillyn Hewson as "Marillyn Lockheed." But it was the "Tim Apple" moment that really took off, and Cook even briefly changed his Twitter name to "Tim ," using the company's logo.

So when Apple announced on Monday that John Ternus would become its new CEO, the "John Apple" posts started to bloom.

"Out: Tim Apple. In: John Apple," Sasha Talebi wrote on Bluesky.

And Greg Pak wrote, "Wait a minute if tim apple leaves apple do they still get to call it apple or does he take his name with him?"

April 20, 2026 at 2:30 PM PDT

April 20, 2026 at 2:13 PM PDT

Apple has announced that John Ternus, seen here at a NYC event in March, will succeed Tim Cook as CEO.

Bloomberg/Getty Images

Apple's incoming CEO, John Ternus, joined the tech giant back in 2001 as part of the product design team, having previously worked as a mechanical engineer at Virtual Research Systems. He has a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Pennsylvania.

Ternus has risen through the ranks at Apple over the past 25 years, becoming a VP of hardware engineering in 2013 and then SVP in 2021. During those years, Ternus worked across many flagship devices, including the iPad, AirPods, iPhone, Apple Watch and, most recently, the MacBook Neo.

"John Ternus has the mind of an engineer, the soul of an innovator and the heart to lead with integrity and with honor," Tim Cook said Monday in Apple's post announcing the news. "He is a visionary whose contributions to Apple over 25 years are already too numerous to count, and he is without question the right person to lead Apple into the future."

According to Apple, Ternus is credited with improving the durability of Apple products, such as using 3D-printed titanium in the Apple Watch Ultra 3 and creating a recycled aluminum compound.

Ternus was last year tipped to be the frontrunner in the race to succeed Cook aApple Watch Ultra 3s CEO. He appeared during Apple's September 2025 event to introduce the iPhone Air. At 51, he's around the same age Cook was when he took over as Apple CEO.

"I am profoundly grateful for this opportunity to carry Apple's mission forward," Ternus said. "Having spent almost my entire career at Apple, I have been lucky to have worked under Steve Jobs and to have had Tim Cook as my mentor."

April 20, 2026 at 2:15 PM PDT

Apple/Screenshot by CNET

In a press release Monday, Apple announced that Tim Cook will continue in his role as CEO through the summer for there to be a smooth transition to the company's new CEO, John Ternus. But Cook won't be leaving Apple and instead will become executive chairman of Apple's board of directors to "assist with certain aspects of the company, including engaging with policymakers around the world."