In his first address to employees as the company's new leader, Apple Chief Executive Officer John Ternus lauded the company’s robust product pipeline and offered a preview of the upcoming “exceptional” iPhone launch slated for next week.

The former hardware engineering chief expressed his anticipation: “We have a major release coming next week, and it will be truly extraordinary.”

Ternus also voiced excitement about the roadmap beyond the new iPhone, mentioning “the remarkable products currently in development, as well as the innovations we haven’t yet conceived but will collectively imagine and create in the future.”

He took a moment to thank his predecessor, Tim Cook, for his leadership at the company and the support provided during the transitional period. Cook, who steered the tech giant for 15 years, will remain on board as Executive Chairman.

On Tuesday, Ternus also made his inaugural post on social platform X, simply saying “hello.” This move places him among other Apple executives active on the platform, including Cook and marketing chief Greg Joswiak.

Joswiak indicated that Ternus would share more details during the company’s event on September 9th. Apple is currently preparing to launch its first foldable iPhone and is laying the groundwork to enter the smart home device market.

The company's development roadmap also includes AirPods with integrated cameras, smart glasses, a desktop robot for home use, and a touchscreen MacBook.

On Monday, Cook sent his final memo to employees as CEO, stating he would miss the work but expressing strong confidence in Ternus's leadership.

Here is the full text of Ternus's memo to employees:

Team,

Today marks my first day as CEO, and I wanted to send a quick note to thank you all for your warm wishes. I also want to express my deep gratitude to Tim for sharing so much of his knowledge and experience during this transition, and more importantly, for his years of dedication to Apple. We are incredibly fortunate to have had a CEO whose leadership was guided by values, dignity, and humanity. We are all better for it, and I am very thankful that he will continue to serve as our Executive Chairman.

It is an immense honor to step into this role at what is arguably the world's greatest company, and I am filled with excitement about everything we have in store. We have a major release next week that will be truly remarkable. Thank you for all your hard work to make it happen.

I am equally excited about the future beyond that, including the amazing products in development and the ones we have yet to dream up but will create together. There is no better team in the world to shape the future with.

There is much more to look forward to. In the meantime, thank you for your excellent work!

John