Apple unveils foldable iPhone Duo and AI features under new CEO John Ternus

Apple on Wednesday unveiled a highly anticipated foldable version of the iPhone along with other consumer tech devices embedded with artificial intelligence in the first major product event under the leadership of new CEO John Ternus.

Wednesday’s event marked the first major product launch since Ternus stepped into the top job at Apple after former CEO Tim Cook stepped down at the end of August after 15 years leading the company.

Ternus has worked at Apple since 2001, primarily in its product design and hardware engineering teams, and brings deep knowledge of key products like the Mac, iPad, iPhone, Apple Watch and AirPods to the role.

The two Apple veterans joked about the transition during the event, with Cook appearing in a video about how to start the presentation that ended with a closeup of the former CEO saying, “Not me. That’s your guy,” and pointing back to Ternus.

APPLE UNVEILS FIRST FOLDABLE IPHONE, IPHONE 18 PRO LINEUP, NEW WATCHES AT ANNUAL LAUNCH EVENT

Apple CEO John Ternus and Apple’s vice president of industrial design, Molly Anderson, show off the new iPhone Duo during an Apple event at the Steve Jobs Theater in Apple Park in Cupertino, California, on Sept. 9, 2026. (Karl Mondon / AFP via Getty Images)

Leander Kahney, editor and publisher of Cult of Mac, spoke with FOX Business following Apple’s event and said that Ternus does a “very good job of putting a human face on the big corporation that is Apple.”

“He talked a lot about the team, about the people behind the products and what a privilege it was to be able to lead the team, and he thanked them at the end,” Kahney said. “I think that’s something Steve Jobs used to do, and it’s a good continuation of that, to acknowledge that he’s not just the one guy – that he might be the face of Apple, but it’s definitely a big team of people behind him.”

Here’s a look at some of the key topics discussed during Apple’s event.

APPLE ENTERS A NEW ERA AS JOHN TERNUS TAKES OVER AS CEO

iPhone Duo

The new iPhone Duo, which is foldable and offers the largest ever iPhone display, will come with a starting price of $1,999. Duo’s 7.6-inch display is 50% larger than the iPhone 18 Pro Max, and when opened is also the thinnest iPhone. It comes with storage options from 256 GB to 2 TB and serves as Apple’s entry into the foldables market that has been dominated by Android devices.

The Duo’s folding system is made of more than 100 small precision components, and Apple said that it used AI algorithms during manufacturing to match each hinge with its best-fit housing to ensure perfect alignment.

The iPhone Duo is Apple’s first foldable smartphone. (David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

“I think it’s going to be really popular,” Kahney said. “It combines portability with the big screen. Performance seems to be fantastic. It looks like it’s a really good…