Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google.

Apple announced on Monday that Tim Cook will step down as chief executive officer, and John Ternus, the company's senior vice president of Hardware Engineering, will take his place. It's a move many have speculated over the past year, and one that feels primed for this September, when Apple may launch its most ambitious product lineup yet.

Also: I've tracked Apple for nearly 50 years: How a garage rebel became a multitrillion-dollar empire

While the organization shift won't take effect until the fall, there are several reasons to already be excited for what's to come out of Cupertino. A look back at Apple's product developments over the past decade, all of which were influenced to a degree by Ternus' team, is enough to give me hope that the future may be even brighter now for the $4 trillion company.

Here are five examples that stand out the most.

1. Leaving Intel in the dust

Did anyone outside of Apple expect the M-series transition to be so monumental? Since launching Apple Silicon with the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, and Mac Mini in 2020 and decoupling its systems from Intel's x86 architecture, Mac revenue has continued to hit new highs, as the company has reported each quarter.

Also: After using the MacBook Neo for weeks, switching to the Air has been refreshingly sweet

This shift to in-house manufacturing, introduced to the public by Ternus himself, has yielded vertical integration well optimized for even the most tedious workflows, as creators and working professionals can attest. We've reviewed every M-series Mac device launched, and our benchmark scores continue to show Apple Silicon holding up against the latest Qualcomm and Intel chipsets, while widening the gap in price-to-performance.

By now, it's safe to assume that the next Mac, which will likely run on the latest M-series chipset, will offer high performance and efficiency at a reasonable price.

2. The iPad becomes something bigger

Once characterized as a larger iPhone or iPod Touch, the iPad has evolved into an ultraportable, multitasking device beloved by content creators, designers, and students alike. More recently, Apple's tablet has become a professional tool, thanks to a greater push into productivity software development, multitasking features like Stage Manager, Dock, and resizable windows, and a switch to M-series chipsets that have supercharged its performance.

Also: 9 essential iPadOS 26 features that convinced me to put my MacBook away for good

Notably, Ternus has been credited for being one of the voices behind this prosumer movement within Cupertino. "In the early days of the iPad, Ternus argued the device's hardware capabilities weren't used to the fullest because its software platform wasn't taking advantage of the tablet's more powerful processor and bigger screen," observed Mark Gurman of Bloomberg in March.

Today, the iPad makes up roughly 34% of the global tablet shipments, and the average spend on the tablet continues to rise (up to $527), according to Counterpoint Research. 

3. Life-changing AirPods

AirPods took the wireless earbuds industry by storm when they launched in 2016, but I've been more impressed by how Apple has further developed them beyond just leisure use. 

The most significant evolution has been repurposing AirPods as medical-grade hearing devices. The AirPods Pro, for example, can be used as over-the-counter hearing aids, with FDA authorization that has enabled Apple to reach an estimated market of 1.5 billion people with hearing loss, according to the National Council on Aging.

Also: How Apple just changed hearing aids forever - and the lives of those who need them

Under Ternus' direction, the AirPods have become more essential than ever, with a price ($249 from Apple) that makes them much more accessible than conventional hearing aids, which can range from $1,500 to $7,500. The latest AirPods can even monitor your heart rate, helping you conveniently track your health.  

As for what's next, I'd love to see how Apple approaches the rumored "camera-equipped AirPods" idea, which feels like a viable AI hardware play that, with the company's attention to security and privacy, may just be another winner we didn't expect.

4. Designing the MacBook for utility

To be clear, Ternus' track record isn't all sunshine and rainbows; his team was also responsible for the controversial MacBook Pro Touch Bar and the infamous Butterfly Keyboard, which cost Apple a $50 million settlement.

But it's evident that there's been a renewed focus on MacBook hardware over the past several years, leaning toward safer designs with greater utility. The 2021 MacBook Pro started it all off, with a chassis that was clearly thicker than the slimmed-down MacBooks of the Jony Ive era, but reintroduced the HDMI port and SD card slot.

Also: MacBook Neo review: My biggest concern with Apple's near-perfect budget laptop

The larger frame also allowed Apple to better optimize cooling and speaker output, both of which have since set a high standard for laptops. Today, a look through Apple's MacBook lineup, from the $599 Neo to the $2,699 Pro, shows its trust in standardizing the Ternus-led design language, and the sales numbers justify it.

5. A vision for the future

While the $3,499 Vision Pro hasn't necessarily been the home run Apple had expected, it has quietly established the company as the leader in spatial computing for enterprise, with corporations, big and small, leveraging the advanced headset to pilot training programs, run design briefings, and even conduct surgeries.

So why should you be excited about Apple's next mixed reality endeavors? For one, Ternus brings a specific background in VR headsets, having worked as a mechanical engineer at Virtual Research Systems before joining Apple. His familiarity with the space, coupled with hopefully a few lessons learned from Vision Pro, may lead to a more aggressive roadmap toward Apple's first pair of smart glasses.

While Meta continues to dominate that end of the market, if the reason consumers aren't buying Ray-Bans is how the company has handled security and privacy, then Apple has a golden opportunity ahead of it that it won't want to fumble.