This digest compiles the latest from Apple Insider.
Today’s Apple Insider Roundup
Let John Ternus be John Ternus, and not Cook or Jobs
Pundits are saying John Ternus will be a Steve Jobs clone when he takes over Apple, while others are adamant that he’ll really be another Tim Cook. The truth is that of course he will be neither, and both, while being John Ternus.
Even John Ternus will have to wait to see what happens when he’s Apple CEO, but it might be years before that becomes clear and clickbait deadlines won’t wait that long. That’s not only on technology sites, as even The Hollywood Reporter has spun 900 words out of having no idea what Ternus will do with Apple TV.
At least they say nobody knows. Others with unnamed sources and unjustified speculation have instead already revealed with total certainty exactly what the man is going to be like.
Louisville Apple Store set for a $1M storefront upgrade
An Apple Store in Louisville, Kentucky will soon be getting a big facelift, with the store renovation expected to cost a cool $1 million.
Apple Oxmoor on Shelbyville Road, Louisville, Kentucky is a store that has a lot of glass in the front, as well as a courtyard. While Apple only moved into the store in September 2019, it has decided six and a half years later to give it an upgrade.
A permit filed with Louisville Metro Planning and Design spotted by Louisville Business First reveals that Apple is planning to make some big changes. Alterations are said to be valued at about a million dollars.
Apple may be about to post another blockbuster quarter
An analysis of Apple’s financials by JP Morgan suggests that Apple is heading into its earnings report with iPhone supply and demand imbalances largely settled, leaving margins and cost pressure as the issues that will decide the rest.
In an earnings preview seen by AppleInsider, JPMorgan says investors already have a clear read on iPhone performance in the current cycle. Focus is now turning to profitability as rising component costs begin to weigh more heavily on results.
JPMorgan expects revenue of about $112.7 billion for the March quarter, ahead of consensus, with iPhone 17 sales driving most of the upside. Mac sales are also expected to contribute, supported by recent product updates and steady upgrade demand.
How iPhone 18 Pro's rumored variable aperture will supercharge your photography
The iPhone 18 Pro’s camera specs are solidifying, thanks to a repeated claim that portrait shots will be improved thanks to the inclusion of variable apertures.
On April 16, a report claimed the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max will gain an often-rumored variable aperture camera system, and that the model was entering production. A week later, a leaker has doubled down on the story.
In a Wednesday post to Weibo, leaker Digital Chat Station ran down a list of photographic changes Apple is working on for the iPhone, for inclusion in the future. That list includes:
Rumor Score: 🤔 Possible
New Beats Onyx Black Solo 4 is collab with K-pop star Jennie
Apple subsidiary Beats has introduced a bunch of new extra-long cables, alongside a collaborative version of the Beats Solo 4 with Jennie from the K-pop group Blackpink.
In a pair of announcements on Tuesday, Beats has introduced two different product variations to its catalog. One being a collaboration with a music star, and the other being an extension of an accessory.
The collaboration between Beats and Jennie, best known for her role in the K-pop sensation Blackpink, has resulted in the release of a new Onyx Black version of its popular headphones. The Beats Solo 4 – Jennie Special Edition was originally launched in September 2025 in Ruby Red, but now there’s an Onyx Black version to match.
Where Apple products are assembled, and where parts come from
Making an iPhone or iPad is a global effort, with companies across North America, Europe, and Asia contributing to every stage of the process. Here’s how it all fits into place.
Apple relies on multiple supply chain partners, with assembly plants located throughout the world. The United States’ ever-changing tariff policies throughout 2025 affected everyone, from consumers to corporations. It made us more aware of where a given product was made.
While the average person had to figure out the extra fees they had to pay for orders from China, Apple had to find ways of diversifying its already complex supply chain.
When he was hired, Ternus wasn't sure he even belonged at Apple
Just years after wrecking his university’s first and only milling machine, John Ternus was intimidated when he first joined Apple and wasn’t sure he belonged.
When John Ternus becomes CEO on September 1, 2026, he will have been at Apple for a quarter of a century. Ahead of even the speculation that he would succeed Tim Cook, he gave a speech about how “exhilarating and intimidating” it had felt when he first joined Apple.
“I wasn’t sure I belonged there,” he told students at the University of Pennsylvania’s engineering school in 2024. “The people I met were so smart and so confident, and they knew so much more than me, but I’ll always be grateful that I wasn’t afraid to ask for help when I needed it.”
Report: New Apple CEO's biggest challenge will be retiring leadership & regular churn
Industry-high employee retention levels and executives holding their posts for decades are apparently going to be significant hurdles for incoming Apple CEO John Ternus.
There’s been a trend in tech reporting that attempts to make every employment change from the top down a calamitous occasion. Whether it’s a dozen engineers out of thousands leaving or executives being poached with insane pay packages, every departure is treated as a serious problem.
I’m still not entirely sure why.
Sonnet Echo 21 Thunderbolt 5 SuperDock review: All of the speed, all of the ports
The Sonnet Echo 21 Thunderbolt 5 SuperDock is a fantastic port and storage expansion for new Mac users, and isn’t pinched for bandwidth.
We get a lot of docks in for review. A lot.
In many cases, we see docks with a lot of ports, but they connect over 10 gigabit per second USB-C. Worse, downstream ports are listed as providing that same 10 Gbit/sec.
End of today’s Apple Insider roundup.
