Apple’s New CEO Just Teed Up a ‘Phenomenal’ Launch on Sept. 9. Here’s What to Expect From Apple’s New Chapter.

On his first day as chief executive of Apple (AAPL), John Ternus did not waste time with platitudes. In a brief company-wide memo, he thanked Tim Cook (former CEO for 15 years) for a values-driven tenure marked by "decency and humanity" and then turned immediately to the business at hand: "We have a huge launch next week that's going to be phenomenal."

That single sentence, delivered on Sept. 1, 2026, marks more than a ceremonial handoff. Apple shares also jumped more than 2.5% on Ternus's first day.

Ternus takes over as CEO eight days before Apple's Sept. 9 "Surprise and Shine" event at Apple Park, his first major public test in the role.

With the "Surprise and Shine" event now just days away and a hardware-focused CEO promising a phenomenal debut, one question hangs over the market. Can the Sept. 9 launch offer the first clear glimpse of how Apple plans to grow in the Ternus era? Let's dive in.

Apple's Financial Strength Raises the Stakes

Based in Cupertino, California, Apple designs consumer electronics, software, and digital services. Its ecosystem spans the iPhone, Mac, iPad, Apple Watch, AirPods, Vision Pro, App Store, Apple Music, iCloud, Apple Pay, and Apple TV+, supported by more than 150,000 employees.

As of Sept. 4, AAPL traded at $323.54, up 20% year-to-date (YTD) and 36% over the past 52 weeks.

Its $4.75 trillion market capitalization, 36.80x trailing P/E, and 36.24x forward P/E exceed sector medians of 24.22x and 22.39x, respectively. In terms of dividends, they offer a forward annual payout of $1.08 per share, for a 0.34% yield.

Apple released fiscal 2026 third-quarter results on July 30 for the quarter ended June 27, reporting $109.4 billion in revenue, up 16% year-over-year (YoY). Their revenue exceeded Wall Street's $108.2 billion estimate by 1.1%, while GAAP diluted EPS of $2.02 surpassed the $1.89 consensus by 6.7%.

This earnings growth was broad-based, with iPhone revenue rising 22% to $54.3 billion, Mac sales increasing 29% to $10.4 billion, and Services revenue advancing 12% to $30.7 billion. AAPL also generated $29.8 billion in net income during the June quarter.