Can Apple Sustain Its Dominance as It Enters a New Era of Leadership?
Apple is currently at a pivotal stage, as it enters a new chapter marked by a leadership transition and major product launches. The company has a new CEO and just held its annual September event, where it unveiled some of its latest technology. As Apple undergoes these transitions, one question remains: Can Apple remain a dominant tech company in this new era?
For nearly 15 years, Tim Cook served as Apple’s CEO, building on the foundation established by co-founder Steve Jobs. He transformed Apple from a big tech company to one of the world's most valuable businesses. Under Cook, Apple’s market capitalization grew from $350 billion to approximately $4 trillion. Additionally, investors earned a total return of about 2,720% on Apple stock during Cook’s tenure, including dividends.
On Sept. 1, 2026, Tim Cook stepped down as CEO of Apple and was succeeded by John Ternus, former senior vice president of hardware engineering. In that role, Ternus contributed to the development of major products such as the Mac, iPad and AirPods. Ternus joined Apple’s product design team in 2001 and has been with the company for 25 years.
One of Apple’s most significant recent developments is Apple Intelligence, which the company is continuing to refine. Rather than functioning as a separate tool, Apple Intelligence is integrated throughout the company’s software and devices. Apple’s ability to remain a dominant tech company in the coming years may depend greatly on the quality and appeal of its artificial intelligence features. Ternus’ engineering background could help Apple integrate AI advancements into its hardware products.
Alongside its advances in artificial intelligence, Apple recently released several new hardware products. At its annual September event, Apple unveiled the iPhone 18 Pro, featuring the A20 Pro chip and new Siri AI capabilities; the AirPods 5, with optimized active noise cancellation; and the Apple Watch Series 12, which achieves a very high level of accuracy in heart rate sensing compared to other Apple products. Arguably the company's most significant new launch is the iPhone Duo, Apple's first foldable phone. Its crease-minimizing technology delivers a fluid experience across its displays, letting the device function as a standard phone when folded and offer an iPad-like experience when unfolded. Although Samsung has had foldable phones since 2019, the iPhone Duo marks Apple’s entry into the foldable device market. It’ll be interesting to see how the iPhone Duo’s popularity progresses. Its success will determine whether foldable devices become a foundational product for Apple or a short-lived experiment.
Apple’s next chapter will largely depend on how successfully John Ternus can advance the company’s hardware and artificial intelligence capabilities. Apple has built its success by creating products that work well together, encouraging customers to keep buying more Apple products. This gives Ternus a strong foundation as he leads Apple through growing competition in AI and consumer technology. Although his engineering experience and Apple’s new products are promising signs, only time will tell whether the company will remain globally dominant under his leadership.
Photo credit: Azreey, Wikimedia Commons
