AXIOS (Ina Fried) - Apple enters post-Cook era chasing its next hit
The Tim Cook era is coming to a close with an existential challenge for Apple: figuring out what comes after the iPhone. Why it matters: Cook extended the iPhone's success into products like the Apple Watch and AirPods and built a powerful services business. But the company hasn't broken into a major new category — and has stumbled into the AI era. Driving the news: Apple announced Monday that Cook will cede the CEO reins to hardware chief John Ternus, while remaining with the company as executive chairman. - The company also promoted Johny Srouji, the driving force behind Apple's chip success, to the new role of chief hardware officer. - That could entice Srouji, whose name is often mentioned in tech CEO searches, to stay in…