SAN FRANCISCO (AFP)

Apple on Monday announced that Tim Cook will step down in September, handing the chief executive job to company veteran John Ternus.

The announcement answers long-simmering questions about who would succeed Cook, 65, and comes as Apple strives to show it is not being left behind in the age of artificial intelligence.

"It has been the greatest privilege of my life to be the CEO of Apple and to have been trusted to lead such an extraordinary company," Cook said in a release.