John Ternus became Apple’s CEO on Tuesday, Tim Cook moved to executive chairman, and the company is a few days away from its first iPhone event of the new era.
Ternus is CEO, Cook stays as chairman
John Ternus formally took over as CEO on 1 September, ending Tim Cook’s 15 years in the role. The succession was announced in April. Cook remains executive chairman and is expected to stay involved in areas such as policy. Ternus, previously Apple’s senior vice president of Hardware Engineering, has been at the company since 2001 and has overseen the shift to Apple silicon. He will be the one on stage this week, and it will be his name on the next set of product announcements.
For anyone buying a phone or a Mac here, the practical change is still to come. The first real test of the new job is Wednesday’s event, and then the software and hardware that follow it.
‘Surprise and Shine’ is on Wednesday
Apple will hold its annual iPhone event on Wednesday, 9 September, at 10am Pacific time — 3am AEST on Thursday, 10 September, here. It is an in-person event at Apple Park, and it will be streamed. The company is expected to introduce new Pro iPhones and its first foldable iPhone, along with new Apple Watch models and AirPods. There will not be a standard iPhone 18 this year; the more affordable models are widely expected to wait until spring 2027.
Australian pricing, GST-inclusive, and delivery dates will matter more than the US figures, and those usually appear in Apple’s local newsroom once the event wraps up. If you plan to pre-order, it is worth having an Apple Account and payment method ready, though the exact pre-order time will only be confirmed on the night. In recent years the store has gone live on the Friday after the event; that pattern is a guide, not a guarantee.
iPhone Handoff will share a number across two phones
A feature first mentioned briefly at WWDC is now clearer. iPhone Handoff, coming in iOS 27, will let you use the same phone number on two iPhones. Your main eSIM stays on the primary phone, a companion eSIM is sent to the second, and the number follows whichever device is unlocked. It will need carrier support. Whether Telstra, Optus or Vodafone will offer it at launch is still unknown.
What to expect on the night
The foldable is the one Apple has not shown, and it is the product most likely to sell out first if the price and supply are tight. New Pro models, watches and AirPods are the more familiar part of the lineup. Until Wednesday, treat names, prices and battery claims as rumour.
What to watch next week
The event starts at 3am on Thursday, Australian time. If you would rather not set an alarm, the announcements and Australian prices should be up on Apple’s site not long after it finishes, and pre-order dates usually come with them.
