Apple is preparing for Tim Cook to step down as CEO of the company "as soon as next year," according to the Financial Times. The company's board of directors and senior executives "recently intensified preparations for Cook to hand over the reins," the report said. While the report said that Apple is unlikely to name a new CEO before its next earnings report in late January, it went on to explain that an announcement early in the year would allow for a smooth leadership transition, ahead of Apple's annual developers conference WWDC in June and iPhone event in September. No final decisions have been made, and the timing could change, the report said. Cook has been Apple's CEO since August 2011. He turned 65 this year, which is a common age for retirement in the United States, but he has yet to publicly announce any plans to step down. Apple's Senior Vice President of Hardware Engineering, John Ternus, is widely viewed as Cook's most likely successor when the time comes. Ternus joined Apple in 2001. At 50, he is one of Apple's younger senior executives, so he could potentially have a lengthy run as CEO. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman pushed back on the report. "I don't get the sense anything is imminent as the [Financial Times] is claiming," he said, in a post today. In any case, the report said Apple's succession plans are not related to the company's current performance. Apple reported record revenue in the September quarter, and the company expects the current December quarter to be the best quarter in the company's history. In addition, Apple's stock price is near its all-time high.Tags: Financial Times, Tim Cook This article, "Report: Tim Cook to Step Down as Apple CEO 'as Soon as Next Year'" first appeared on MacRumors.com Discuss this article in our forums

Apple rolled out updated App Review Guidelines Thursday that require developers to explicitly disclose when they’re sharing your personal information with third-party artificial intelligence services — and get your permission first. New Apple rules keep apps from sending data to third-party AI The App Review Guidelines changes come as Apple prepares to launch a major upgrade to Siri in 2026. It will reportedly use Google’s Gemini AI to help the voice assistant perform actions across different apps on your device. As Apple integrates AI more deeply into its own ecosystem, it simultaneously tightens restrictions on how other apps can share your data with AI providers. The updates reflect Apple’s ongoing effort to balance AI innovation with its longstanding commitment to user privacy and data protection. What’s changed in the guidelines The updated version of guideline 5.1.2(i) now includes specific language about AI services. Previously, the rule required apps to disclose data sharing practices and obtain user consent before transmitting personal information to third parties. The new version adds a crucial clarification: “You must clearly disclose where personal data will be shared with third parties, including with third-party AI, and obtain explicit permission before doing so.” This marks the first time Apple has specifically called out AI companies in its App Store policies. That suggests the company views AI providers as requiring the same level of scrutiny as other sensitive data handlers. What this means for your apps The new rule will impact apps that use AI systems to collect or process your information, whether for personalization features or core functionality. This could include apps using large language models, cloud-based AI analysis or machine learning algorithms. However, there’s still uncertainty about enforcement. Apple hasn’t clarified exactly which AI technologies fall under this requirement. The term “AI” could encompass everything from sophisticated cloud-based language models to simple on-device machine learning features. How strictly Apple enforces this rule remains to be seen. Apps that fail to comply with these guidelines can be removed from the App Store. The policy helps Apple maintain compliance with privacy regulations like the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation and California’s Consumer Privacy Act. Other guideline updates Beyond AI-related changes, Apple also updated rules supporting its new Mini Apps Program. It made adjustments to policies for creator and loan apps. It also added cryptocurrency exchanges to the list of apps operating in highly regulated fields. Leave a comment