Can new Apple CEO John Ternus fix the tech giant's AI woes?

On September 1, a new era begins at Apple as John Ternus becomes just the third man to hold the CEO role at the tech giant since 1997.

Ternus was announced as Tim Cook's successor back in April , bringing Cook's 15 years at the helm of one of the world's biggest companies to an end. Since then, Ternus, a leading hardware engineer at the company, has been working closely alongside Cook in preparation for the big job.

Just as Cook had when he took over from the iconic Steve Jobs, Ternus has big shoes to fill. Apple's share price has increased by more than 2,000% since Cook took over in 2011 and the company has sold more than 3.1 billion iPhones in that time.

Ternus faces a range of challenges at Apple, but his ability to keep the company at the top will hinge on how he reshapes its AI strategy.

Apple has struggled to successfully embrace the technology so far, with critics saying it has fallen far behind its rivals.

Ternus will make his public debut as CEO at Apple's autumn product launch event on September 9. Dubbed "Surprise and Shine," Ternus is expected to announce the company's first foldable iPhone as well as a new version of an AI-powered Siri, Apple's virtual assistant.

Francisco Jeronimo, VP for Data and Analytics at tech research group IDC, said Apple's forthcoming announcements were planned during Cook's time in charge and that it will be 2027 before the direction Ternus wants to take the company in becomes apparent.

"Of course, September 9 will be quite an important milestone for the company around foldables and around innovation," he told DW.