Report: Apple will soon be able to update Macs in the box
After you buy a new Apple device, you often have to update it first. It's no longer needed for the iPhone and is likely soon no longer needed for the Mac either.
MacBook from Apple: Update remotely, fresh from the factory?
(Image: Farknot Architect / Shutterstock.com)
Apple regularly updates its operating systems, and many users comply with the company's request to install them quickly. The problem is that necessary updates have the potential to disrupt the “out of the box” experience with new products. This means that if you have just taken your new iPhone, Mac, or iPad home from an Apple store, you would rather not have to update the device before you can start using it. Apple has therefore created a technical solution: iPhones can be updated in the Apple Store while still in the packaging using a piece of hardware known internally as “Presto”. A similar technology is now apparently also being prepared for Macs, reports the Apple blog 9to5Mac.
Basics in macOS 26
According to the information, the foundations for this have been laid in macOS 26 alias Tahoe, which Apple recently rolled out in the third developer beta. The basic plan: Apple delivers its hardware from the manufacturing plants to its stores, which are then updated to the latest version using Presto and a suitable machine, as is already used for iPhones –.
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The devices can remain sealed in their packaging and are updated wirelessly via a technical mechanism that only Apple has access to. The device would be a kind of “mega-toaster,” writes 9to5Mac.
Macs are toasted
The current Presto device can hold up to six iPhones simultaneously on two sides. Once inserted, the iPhone is booted up, the iOS update is installed, and the device is then switched off again. It is unclear whether wireless charging takes place, but the devices are always delivered with some juice from the factory so that the user does not have to charge them straight away.
The same applies to Macs, although the process of installing operating systems often takes longer. Apple apparently relies on the integrated NFC chip for authentication on the iPhone, which Macs currently lack. However, it is also conceivable that the company will only make future devices Presto-capable, for example, the models planned for the fall. Apple has also installed Bluetooth technology in its iPhones, which makes it possible to locate devices even when they are (apparently) switched off. In the past, Apple has already had problems with devices that were freshly delivered. For example, a defective version of iOS 17 was supplied with the iPhone 15, which users had to update to iOS 17.0.1 immediately to avoid activation issues, among other things.
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