Apple Q4 2026 earnings live updates: Ternus’ first call

Apple investors and customers are still getting to know Ternus, but since he took over for Tim Cook on Sept. 1, the new CEO has embraced his new role as the face of the iPhone company.

Ternus’ first major appearance came nine days into his tenure, when he unveiled the iPhone Duo at Apple’s headquarters. A week later, he was walking the red carpet at the Emmys. He then flew to New York, where he opened the doors at an Apple store to commemorate the new iPhone Pro going on sale. He also went to Austin, Texas, this month to kick off sales of the iPhone Duo, and appeared at an elementary school and an F1 race while on the trip. 

And he’s had a busy media schedule, including an appearance on the cover of Time magazine.

Last week, Ternus continued a new style of Apple product introduction in unveiling the first MacBook with a touchscreen using a format he first tried out in the spring. That’s when Apple launched its low-cost MacBook Neo. Ternus addressed a crowd of media and analysts, giving a five minute speech interspersed with a few short videos. 

Investors will get their first in-depth look at Ternus on Monday. He’s been on the past few calls, but hasn’t given extended remarks, and largely deferred to Cook when asked questions.

— Kif Leswing

Heading into its earnings report, Apple has emerged as the preferred megacap tech stock on Wall Street. The shares are up 27% this year as of Friday’s close, by far outpacing Apple’s leading peers.

It’s also the last among the group (other than Nvidia, which reports next month) to issue quarterly earnings. Investors weren’t kind to the hyperscalers over the past two weeks, scrutinizing their hefty expenses and dwindling cash flows.

Apple is in a much different category as the iPhone maker has avoided running up huge capital expenditures bills, taking a more measured approach to its AI investing.

—Ari Levy