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In this episode
1Brand and Business
John Ternus inherits Apple before he has unpacked his boxes
John Ternus takes over Apple from Tim Cook, whose tenure was defined by supply chain mastery and political finesse. Ternus is a hardware engineer who thinks in materials, tolerances and form factors more than trade relationships and regulatory positioning.
Why it mattersThat could shift how Apple makes design decisions. The first product event, days into the role, will show how much that changes.
On our radar beforeAllSaints has now come up in 2 of our 193 episodes. First: Ep 189, 1 Sep.
What it means
Engineers took power. Taste will follow their instincts.
John Ternus, a hardware engineer, taking over Apple, Roland putting generative AI inside a producer's DAW rather than a consumer app, and Nvidia chips helping broker an Armenia and Azerbaijan peace deal all put technical people at the centre of decisions once made elsewhere. Materials, tools and compute are shaping culture and politics more directly. Those who build things are gaining authority that marketers and diplomats once held.
One to watch
Apple will position the iPhone 18 line's material or manufacturing specification as its primary creative narrative, marking a break from the software-led marketing of the Cook era.
Tomorrow, by breakfast
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THE PATTERNEP 193SIGNAL 2 · FASHION AND STYLETHEPATTERN.MEDIA · BEFORE IT’S OBVIOUSIB KAMARA EXITS OFF-WHITEAS THE MET CANCELS THEGALLIANO SHOWIb Kamara exits Off-White as the Met cancels the Galliano show.THE PATTERNEP 193SIGNAL 3 · TECH AND DIGITALTHEPATTERN.MEDIA · BEFORE IT’S OBVIOUSNVIDIA CHIPS WERE PART OFAN ARMENIA-AZERBAIJANPEACE DEALNvidia chips were part of an Armenia-Azerbaijan peace deal.THE PATTERNEP 193SIGNAL 4 · MUSIC AND ENTERTAINMENTTHEPATTERN.MEDIA · BEFORE IT’S OBVIOUSROLAND ENTERS GENERATIVEAI MUSIC THROUGH A DAWPLUG-IN, NOT A CONSUMERAPPRoland enters generative AI music through a DAW plug-in, not a consumer app.THE PATTERNEP 193SIGNAL 5 · ART AND PHOTOGRAPHYTHEPATTERN.MEDIA · BEFORE IT’S OBVIOUSASIAN ART COLLECTORSUNDER FORTY ARE BLURRINGPRACTICE BOUNDARIES ATFRIEZE SEOULAsian art collectors under forty are blurring practice boundaries at Frieze Seoul.THE PATTERNEP 193SIGNAL 6 · CULTURE AND IDEASTHEPATTERN.MEDIA · BEFORE IT’S OBVIOUSALLSAINTS BRINGS AARONESH BACK TO EAST LONDONROOTS WITH A DELIBERATELYANTI-CORPORATE LAUNCHAllSaints brings Aaron Esh back to East London roots with a deliberately anti-corporate launch.THE PATTERNEP 193ONE TO WATCH · THE PATTERNTHEPATTERN.MEDIA · BEFORE IT’S OBVIOUSAPPLE WILL POSITION THE IPHONE 18LINE'S MATERIAL OR MANUFACTURINGSPECIFICATION AS ITS PRIMARYCREATIVE NARRATIVE, MARKING ABREAK FROM THE SOFTWARE-LEDMARKETING OF THE COOK ERAApple will position the iPhone 18 line's material or manufacturing specification as its primary creative narrative, marking a break from the software-led marketing of the Cook era.