New Delhi, Sept. 2 -- John Ternus has officially taken over as Apple CEO, succeeding Tim Cook, who has transitioned to Executive Chairman. In his first letter to the employees, Ternus thanked everyone for their support and expressed his appreciation for Cook's leadership, calling him a "leader who led Apple with values, decency, and humanity." The memo was sent to employees on the first day that Ternus became CEO, MacRumors reports.

The message contained a short preview of Apple's near future. Employees were told by Ternus that Apple had a "huge launch next week" that would be 'phenomenal', a reference widely interpreted as the company's 9 September "Surprise and Shine" event, where the iPhone 18 series is expected to be unveiled. While ...