Apple CEO John Ternus is pushing the company to develop and release products faster and more often, Bloomberg reports. He reportedly wants Apple to rely less on its traditional spring and fall launch windows as part of a broader effort to make the company leaner and more focused on engineering.
The plans are still early ideas under consideration, according to Bloomberg, which cited people familiar with internal discussions. Employees said changing the company’s long-established development practices could take years.
Ternus has reportedly told colleagues that Apple needs to launch products more quickly and be more willing to experiment as competition in artificial intelligence heats up. Product-development managers are already being pushed to deliver more products on shorter timelines, Bloomberg reported.
Apple declined to comment to Bloomberg.
A less seasonal Apple product calendar
Apple already releases hardware at various points in the year, but its 2026 launches show the seasonal clustering Ternus reportedly wants to move away from.
In the March quarter, Apple introduced the iPhone 17e, an M4-powered iPad Air, and the MacBook Neo. Its big September hardware event then brought the iPhone 18 Pro lineup and the iPhone Duo, Apple’s first foldable smartphone.
Ternus became CEO on September 1, succeeding Tim Cook, who had led the company for 15 years. He joined in 2001 and previously headed Hardware Engineering, overseeing work on the iPhone, Mac, iPad, AirPods, and Apple Watch.
Eight days later, he hosted his first major product event as CEO with the launch of the iPhone Duo. The foldable marked Apple’s entry into a category already contested by Samsung, Huawei, and others, and gave Ternus an unusually significant product to introduce so early in his tenure.
Next year’s lineup could grow further. Bloomberg says Apple is planning AirPods with built-in cameras, its first smart glasses, and a redesigned iPhone timed to the product’s 20th anniversary.
Faster development, with a leaner organization
The proposed changes go beyond release timing.
Bloomberg reports that Apple’s hardware engineering division recently began cutting some engineering program manager roles. These employees have traditionally managed development schedules and coordinated work across engineering teams. The cuts reportedly included about half a dozen directors.
Ternus had been advocating for a leaner organization even before he became CEO, according to the report. His approach includes hiring fewer people, asking more of existing engineering teams, and reducing the layers of management between engineers and senior executives.
He is also exploring how AI could speed up product development and take over some work now done by employees. Apple has separately been cutting or scaling back work in several areas, though Bloomberg says a proposal earlier this year to eliminate about 5,000 AppleCare positions was ultimately put on hold.
Apple is looking for more growth
The push for faster launches also comes as Apple searches for new sources of revenue.
According to Bloomberg, Ternus, Services chief Eddy Cue, and Chief Financial Officer Kevan Parekh have discussed new services and ways to earn more from Apple’s existing products and ecosystem.
Services brought in USD 30.98 billion (about PHP 1.94 trillion) in net sales in the March quarter, an all-time quarterly record. That dipped slightly to USD 30.74 billion (about PHP 1.93 trillion) in the June quarter, though it was still up from USD 27.42 billion (about PHP 1.72 trillion) a year earlier and a record for a June quarter.
A bigger, more frequently refreshed hardware lineup could give Apple more chances to sell devices and draw customers into its services. However, none of the changes Bloomberg describes have been formally announced.