Apple's Next CEO Identified

Apple's hardware engineering chief John Ternus remains the "leading contender" to become the company's next CEO, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.

Ternus is 50 years old, so he is still young enough to have a long run at the helm of Apple, after current CEO Tim Cook retires. He is already a key decision-maker at Apple, according to Gurman, and he appears to have a charismatic personality.

Cook has served as Apple's CEO since August 2011. He will turn 65 next month, but there is no indication that he plans to retire any time soon.

For many years, it was thought that the person most likely to succeed Cook was Jeff Williams, but that is no longer the case. Williams stepped down as Apple's COO earlier this year, and he plans to fully retire from the company later this year.

Indeed, there was a long period where Williams was well positioned to become CEO, but Cook's long tenure at the helm has ultimately closed that window.

All eyes are now on Ternus, who has been spotlighted by Apple even more lately. For example, Ternus announced the iPhone Air, and he participated in interviews related to the device. He even attended an Apple Store in London for the launch.

Cook will likely remain CEO for at least a few more years, but when he eventually steps down, it looks increasingly likely that he will be succeeded by Ternus.