Today Apple hands the keynote mic to someone other than Tim Cook for the first time in fourteen years, and naturally, the company decided the moment called for a phone that literally bends over backward for the occasion.

The First Keynote of the Ternus Era

Apple's "Surprise and Shine" event kicks off today, September 9, at 10 AM Pacific — the first product launch under new CEO John Ternus, who officially took over from Tim Cook on September 1. The headliner is Apple's first foldable iPhone, expected to open book-style from a roughly 5.5-inch outer OLED display into a tablet-like 7.8-inch inner screen, with rumors pointing to the name iPhone Ultra.

Alongside the fold, Apple is expected to introduce the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, built on a new 2-nanometer A20 Pro chip designed to run cooler for longer, plus new Apple Watch models and AirPods. The event should also lock in release dates for iOS 27 and the rest of the fall software lineup.

A Fold Six Years in the Making

Samsung's been shipping folding phones since 2019, so Apple arriving now isn't a leap into the unknown — it's Apple doing what Apple does, waiting until the hinges, the crease, and the price tag can all clear its own bar before slapping its name on the category. Whether that patience translates into "worth it" versus "finally" is the whole ballgame.

The more interesting subplot is Ternus himself. Handing your first keynote a brand-new hardware category, rather than an iterative Pro refresh, is a statement — Apple's betting its new chief operating voice can sell not just a phone, but a vote of confidence that the post-Cook era isn't going to play it safe.

A folding iPhone won't reinvent computing, but a new CEO betting his debut on one says plenty about where Apple thinks its next decade needs to go.

New devices mean new expectations for how businesses show up on them — if your site hasn't been stress-tested against whatever shape phones take next, that's a conversation worth having with our team; reach out here.

Source: TidBITS