John Ternus becomes Apple CEO as Tim Cook moves to chairman role

John Ternus became Apple's chief executive officer Tuesday, succeeding Tim Cook after nearly 15 years at the helm of the technology giant.

Ternus, who previously served as Apple's senior vice president of Hardware Engineering, is now the company's eighth CEO as part of a leadership transition announced by Apple in April.

Cook has moved into the role of executive chairman of Apple's board.

Ternus, who joined Apple in 2001, has played a key role in the development of several of the company's major products, including the iPhone, iPad and Mac.

His promotion comes as Apple seeks to strengthen its position in artificial intelligence, an area in which it has faced growing competition from technology rivals.

The transition also comes just days before Apple's expected annual product event, putting Ternus in charge as the company prepares to unveil a new generation of products and services.

Cook, who became CEO in 2011 after succeeding Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, will remain involved in the company as executive chairman.

Apple said the succession followed a long-term planning process and was unanimously approved by its board.