Why Apple CEO is on TIME's Best Inventions 2026 cover
What's the story
Apple's newly appointed CEO, John Ternus, has made it to the cover of TIME magazine's annual Best Inventions of 2026 issue. The feature includes an exclusive interview with Ternus and discusses the launch of the highly anticipated foldable iPhone Duo. It also sheds light on his strategic vision for leading Apple into its next 50 years.
Leadership transition
Generational shift at Apple
Ternus's cover story comes weeks after he took over from Tim Cook in September, marking a generational shift at Apple.
The move comes at a time when the company is facing fierce competition in artificial intelligence, smartphones, and new computing platforms.
TIME's decision to feature Ternus prominently highlights the importance of this leadership transition during a critical period of hardware innovation.
Historical link
iPhone Duo and engineering-oriented approach
The cover story also highlights a deep, historical connection between Ternus and Apple's foray into foldable technology.
Some 15 years ago, he was listed as an inventor on an early Apple patent application for foldable electronic devices.
This engineering background provided the historical context for the iPhone Duo, which TIME viewed as an early symbol of his engineering-oriented approach to Apple's next chapter.
Award recognition
TIME's best inventions of the year
TIME evaluated candidates from around the world based on originality, effectiveness, ambition, and potential impact.
The unranked innovation issue of this year honors 300 breakthrough inventions and 100 special mentions across consumer electronics, medical technology, renewable energy, and AI.
Along with Apple's iPhone Duo, other notable inventions include Anthropic's Claude Code (an AI-powered software engineering tool), Google SynthID (a technology addressing digital authenticity), and Lovable (an AI application development platform).