John Ternus to become Apple CEO • Hacker News Board

Re: John Ternus to become Apple CEO

#501

Post by bigyabai » Tue, Apr 21, 2026, 1:23 AM UTC

greggsy wrote: post #492

legitster wrote: post #78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The privacy is more of a market position thing than it is a political thing. Apple has led the industry on hardware but is woefully behind on the software and services front. Focusing on device-level privacy controls turns what would be a gap into a moat, and it helps deprive Google and other services from monetizing their customer base. Not to say that it's not something the company is passionate about - but it's al…

If you’re referring to their AI services being ‘woefully behind’, that’s just a market sector that they’ve chosen not to focus too much effort on. That was a sensible gamble too, given how unpredictable that sector is five years after it was released. I’m not sure what else they are behind on frankly, as their current offerings have been extremely stable from day dot. How many products has Google released and killed…

> That was a sensible gamble too, given how unpredictable that sector is five years after it was released.

Define sensible. Apple's B2C margins are peanuts compared to what Nvidia's commanding right now, and they're both ARM retailers competing for the same cutting-edge fab space.

Re: John Ternus to become Apple CEO

#502

Post by bigyabai » Tue, Apr 21, 2026, 1:24 AM UTC

charcircuit wrote: post #235

legitster wrote: post #78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The privacy is more of a market position thing than it is a political thing. Apple has led the industry on hardware but is woefully behind on the software and services front. Focusing on device-level privacy controls turns what would be a gap into a moat, and it helps deprive Google and other services from monetizing their customer base. Not to say that it's not something the company is passionate about - but it's al…

>but is woefully behind on the software iOS is ahead on software security compared to Android, Windows, Desktop Linux, etc.

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2023/12/apple-admits-to-...

Re: John Ternus to become Apple CEO

#503

Post by ChrisMarshallNY » Tue, Apr 21, 2026, 1:27 AM UTC

Sounds like a good choice. Glad to have an engineer in charge. Tim Cook is no spring chicken. I do hope Ternus maintains the focus on privacy.

That focus on privacy pisses off a lot of devs (Yours Truly, included), but I sincerely believe in it. I write apps that Serve a demographic that values privacy.

Re: John Ternus to become Apple CEO

#504

Post by paradox460 » Tue, Apr 21, 2026, 1:28 AM UTC

leptons wrote: post #437

hei-lima wrote: post #77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Apple’s software is the best in the non-free software world compared to Google's or Microsoft's, IMO. But that doesn't mean it can't be better.

I'm not sure how you can think Finder is better than the alternatives. It's awful, and has always been awful, IMO.

It has one feature I wish everyone else would copy: Miller columns. But even after NeXT used them 35+ years ago, they have remarkably little penetration into other OSes.

I use Pathfinder on MacOS, and it's generally a lot better than finder, but there are features I wish would carry over from other OSes. Windows file check boxes are incredibly useful

Re: John Ternus to become Apple CEO

#505

Post by pennomi » Tue, Apr 21, 2026, 1:33 AM UTC

tyleregeto wrote: post #216

hei-lima wrote: post #77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Apple’s software is the best in the non-free software world compared to Google's or Microsoft's, IMO. But that doesn't mean it can't be better.

Opinions vary, but I've never found Apple software to be particularly good. Their hardware is almost always exceptional. I'd go further and say I am constantly frustrated by how difficult their software can make basic tasks. I often find many of their UX patterns unintuitive, or even feel user hostile at times. Small example, I really want to view passwords as I type them in. I constantly miss type passwords on touch…

XCode is one of the worst pieces of software in history. Imagine writing a code editor that couldn’t keep its syntax highlighting from crashing for multiple years.

Re: John Ternus to become Apple CEO

#506

Post by ourmandave » Tue, Apr 21, 2026, 1:35 AM UTC

What if, right after Tim is gone, all the leaks of iPhone designs and colors stopped?

I'm just askin' questions.

Re: John Ternus to become Apple CEO

#507

Post by aanet » Tue, Apr 21, 2026, 1:38 AM UTC

caycep wrote: post #455

aanet wrote: post #128

Whoa, didn't expect the announcement to come so soon. Of course, the sound bytes were everywhere, but even then, this was a surprise announcement. So, the Tim Cook era lasted 15 years (2011 - 2026). He's 65yo, and he could have easily hung in there for a few more years. But I believe he's leaving at the peak -- both Apple's and his own -- and this might be the best time to leave, rather than being forced out (as many…

Granted, 65 is probably a milestone for anyone. I think BMW has a hard stop for its execs at that age

Agreed... EU (and most countries, afaik) have age limits for CEOs, which I do support.

Though US famously does not, which is a curse in itself, IMHO.

Though tbh, it's worth wondering if Berkshire Hathaway without the Sage is still the same...

Re: John Ternus to become Apple CEO

#508

Post by itunes1010 » Tue, Apr 21, 2026, 1:42 AM UTC

seanmcdirmid wrote: post #247

hei-lima wrote: post #77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Apple’s software is the best in the non-free software world compared to Google's or Microsoft's, IMO. But that doesn't mean it can't be better.

> Apple’s software is the best in the non-free software world compared to Google's or Microsoft's, IMO. But that doesn't mean it can't be better. 20+ years ago, software was so horrible that we were just tolerating it, and every new OS release was a big deal because there was hope things would get better! Today an OS release comes out and I have to be bothered by automatic "you must upgrade messages" to even care. Pe…

> 20+ years ago, software was so horrible that we were just tolerating it,

Absolutely not, especially not on an Apple thread.

By example, the iPod released in 2001. Anyone who used those early knows the user experience was competitive with the current experience. In 2006, I was using the version of iTunes then which was probably objectively the best desktop music app ever created. There are features then that were just there, that were pioneered, or now absent, like an automatically sorted "least listened to" playlist that are now nearly impossible to find. Sync alone is still an headache the OS community just does on the side, and no one is even bothering to compete on it anymore.

Re: John Ternus to become Apple CEO

#509

Post by kulahan » Tue, Apr 21, 2026, 1:48 AM UTC

tokyobreakfast wrote: post #366

Tyrubias wrote: post #23

Tim Cook’s experience in logistics built Apple into the global hegemon it is today. I hope John Ternus’s experience with hardware can kick off a renaissance in both Apple hardware and software design. Mind you, Apple hardware is already amazing, but hopefully it can be even better with Ternus at the helm. Apple software is terrible, and hopefully Ternus can turn that around. I’m also hoping, without any evidence, tha…

> Apple hardware is already amazing Apple also made some amazing hardware blunders. My personal favorite is the force-touch home button on the previous generation iPhones and iPads wouldn't work if you were wearing a band-aid. I don't mean the fingerprint reader, it wouldn't even click. So don't ever cut yourself if you were planning to unlock your phone ever. It added basically nothing for the end user over the prev…

Don't forget that to shut down an iPhone, you need to remember the secret button combination. Of course holding the power button down doesn't shut it off. Why would it? That's just a standard held by EVERY OTHER ELECTRONIC DEVICE IN EXISTENCE.

Man, I love Apple, but their stupidity is beyond baffling sometimes. No Siri updates for 10 years, making the hardware harder to use, single-handed use is no longer as easy or comfortable, and they haven't done... anything(?) revolutionary in AGES. Their latest gaff was the Neo - a phone stretched out as much as possible to make a "laptop". They couldn't even bother to make the logo shiny on it, it was such a departure from true Apple style. Let's not forget the 92 lenses on the back of the phone that stick out a quarter inch, a screen that's nearly impossible to replace, and the hilariously pathetic "iphone repair kit" they lend you.

I have zero confidence in this guy. Nothing he had oversight over has gone well, as far as I'm concerned.

Re: John Ternus to become Apple CEO

#510

Post by snowwrestler » Tue, Apr 21, 2026, 1:54 AM UTC

mandeepj wrote: post #249

Some people might say Tim is leaving but he got himself promoted, just like Bezos. So, being an “Executive” chairman he’s going to be actively involved and be responsible, but not on daily basis and deep into each of verticals. Also, going over his past statements as recent as during this year, it seems like he didn’t want to leave his CEO position, so he got forced out?

> Also, going over his past statements as recent as during this year, it seems like he didn’t want to leave his CEO position, so he got forced out?

I bet that was just good message management. The steadiest approach to a CEO transition is to make it seem a long way off until the moment it happens. Markets don’t like any wobbling at the top.