Apple after Tim Cook — John Ternus will take the helm at a pivotal moment, with big shoes to fill and huge questions to answer

When Tim Cook officially relinquishes his Apple CEO role in September, he'll leave his successor John Ternus with a $4 trillion dollar house that's largely in order, but perhaps missing a few key features and upgrades.

Ternus, who has been with Apple for 25 years, most of them in a hardware leadership role, will first have to address a software problem: AI. Apple, which is used to being a tech and innovation leader, is inarguably behind when it comes to artificial intelligence, and whatever Apple does or doesn't do in the space will likely be laid at the feet of Ternus, even as he's trying to get those feet under the CEO's desk.

There isn't enough Apple in AI

To be fair, Ternus didn't create this issue, and, as with much of what Apple will do over the next 12 to 18 months ...