# Apple Event Kicks Off Ternus Era With Foldable iPhone and AI Push > Source: > Published: 2026-09-07 13:15:44+00:00 Apple has confirmed its next product launch for September 9 at Apple Park in Cupertino, a date that carries extra weight this year because it marks the first [Apple Event](https://www.kobaran.com/tag/Apple-Event) run by incoming CEO John Ternus. Ternus takes over from Tim Cook on September 1, moving from his role overseeing hardware engineering into the top job just eight days before he has to stand on stage and set the tone for Apple’s next chapter. The timing means the keynote will double as both a product reveal and a public introduction of Apple’s new leadership. Apple has titled the event “Surprise and shine,” and reporting indicates the company is skipping the standard iPhone 18 this fall, pushing it and a cheaper iPhone 18e to a spring 2027 release instead. That leaves the September lineup built around three premium devices: the iPhone 18 Pro, the iPhone 18 Pro Max, and Apple’s first foldable iPhone, widely rumored to carry the name iPhone Ultra. What happens on stage will shape more than a single product cycle. Investors and rivals alike are watching to see whether Ternus can translate his engineering background into a credible AI strategy, and whether Apple’s late entry into foldables can expand the category rather than simply chase Samsung’s lead. ## What Apple Is Expected to Announce The headline hardware is the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, expected to move to a 2-nanometer A20 Pro chip that Apple says will run cooler under sustained use. Beyond the core Pro lineup, multiple reports point to a broader slate of releases tied to this Apple Event. | Expected Product | Status | |---|---| | iPhone 18 Pro / Pro Max | Headline launch, A20 Pro chip | | Foldable iPhone (“iPhone Ultra”) | First-ever foldable, book-style design | | Standard iPhone 18 / 18e | Delayed to spring 2027 | | Apple Watch Series 12, Watch Ultra 4 | Expected alongside iPhones | | AirPods 5 | Expected, with and without noise cancellation | | Siri AI | New assistant built on large language model technology | ### The Foldable Iphone Bet Apple’s foldable is expected to open into a screen close to 7.8 inches, closing down to roughly 5.5 inches on the outside, a book-style layout similar to devices Samsung has sold for several generations. Pricing estimates from industry analysts have ranged from around $2,000 to above $2,300, positioning it near or above Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold line. ### Samsung’s Response Samsung currently leads what is still a relatively small foldable smartphone market, but the company has publicly welcomed Apple’s entry. Drew Blackard, Samsung’s senior vice president of mobile product management, told CNN in July that “the more visibility there is on the category, the better.” The comment reflects a common pattern in tech hardware, where a dominant player benefits when a major competitor validates a product category rather than avoids it, since it can grow total demand instead of just splitting existing sales. ## Ternus Steps Into the Spotlight This Apple Event is Ternus’s first as chief executive, and it lands at a moment when Apple has faced persistent questions about whether it is falling behind in artificial intelligence. Ternus joined Apple’s product design team in 2001 and later led hardware engineering for the iPad and AirPods, giving him a background rooted in devices rather than software or services. ### Bull Case for Apple Stock Bank of America analysts wrote in an August note that “Ternus could cement Apple’s device dominance in an AI enabled era,” pointing to Apple’s silicon, on-device processing, and privacy positioning as advantages once AI features are built more deeply into hardware. A foldable iPhone that succeeds commercially would also give Apple a new premium category, lifting average selling prices instead of relying on incremental Pro-model upgrades. If the launch lands well, it could ease investor concern about Apple’s AI positioning heading into the new CEO’s first full year. ### Bear Case: Scrutiny on a New Leader Ternus has never led an iPhone launch as chief executive, and any stumble in messaging or product execution will draw outsized attention given the leadership change. Apple is also entering the foldable market years after Samsung, which has already gone through multiple hardware generations in that category. A foldable iPhone, however anticipated, still has to differentiate itself against a mature competitor rather than define the category on its own terms. #### Background on the Leadership Transition Cook becomes executive chairman on September 1 as part of a transition that has been discussed for months, with Ternus’s hardware background seen internally as a signal that Apple’s next phase of competition will center on integrating AI chips directly into devices rather than expanding services or software alone. ## What Comes Next Apple’s iPhone 18 Pro models and the foldable device are expected to be available for pre-order shortly after the keynote, with retail availability to follow later in September. A second Apple event covering additional Mac hardware is expected later this year, separate from this week’s iPhone-focused presentation. For now, the September 9 Apple Event stands as the clearest early test of how Ternus intends to run the company Cook built over the past 14 years.