Apple's new CEO says the iPhone is still the best AI device

Apple’s new CEO, John Ternus, used the opening of the company’s Surprise and Shine event on Wednesday to lay out the company’s AI strategy: the iPhone, he said, is already the best AI device available, and Apple cares more about protecting user data than its rivals. The remarks came as Ternus formally succeeds Tim Cook, who is now executive chairman, and offered a clear picture of how Apple intends to compete in the AI era. Rather than build new standalone hardware for AI, the company wants the iPhone to remain the central way people interact with the technology.

Ternus described the ideal AI device as an “intelligent personal hub” — one with a broad understanding of a user’s personal context, that stays with them at all times, and that combines a powerful on-device processor capable of running AI models with an internet connection to reach models in the cloud. Such a device would also need a large display, high-quality cameras and microphones so it can see and hear the world around it, and long battery life, he said. It should be easy to use without a big learning curve, and work seamlessly with a person’s other devices, apps, and services so the whole experience feels integrated. That description, Ternus said, leads to something remarkably familiar: “There’s no product in the world better designed to be your intelligent personal hub than iPhone.”

Ternus also argued that Apple takes data privacy more seriously than its competitors, saying other companies treat users’ personal data as something to collect and store. He said trust only goes so far once a person no longer controls their own data, which is why Apple Intelligence runs on-device whenever it can — one of the sharper statements Apple has made about how it intends to differentiate its AI platform from the competition.

Why it matters

Apple’s stance sets up a clear contrast with AI rivals as they push into new hardware categories, betting that owning the world’s most-used personal device — not launching a new one — is the surer path to AI dominance.