Apple may be prepping MacBooks for a behind-the-scenes upgrade trick

There's a system codenamed Presto developed by Apple, which updates iPhones that are sealed wirelessly. This way, the iPhone that you buy that's been in its box for some time is already running the latest version of iOS. And now, reportedly, Apple is working on a similar thing for Macs. 

It seems that Apple is laying the groundwork for a sealed-device update system for Macs and MacBooks. Hints about this have been spotted in macOS Tahoe beta 3. It seems the software will mirror the Presto mechanism that's currently used for iPhones. 

Theoretically, if this happens, Apple will be able to ship hardware first, then wirelessly update the system before it hits the shelf. This is especially useful for tight schedules when teams at the Cupertino headquarters are rushing on both the software and hardware side of things, so everything can happen on time. 

Also, it would help avoid situations like having to update on day one (a similar thing happened with the iPhone 15, when it was shipped from the factory running iOS 17.0, but then needed a day-one update to iOS 17.0.1 to avoid activation issues and data transfer bugs). 



For Presto, Apple does the updates with a Mac mini-controlled device, which is described as a "two-slot toaster" with room for up to six iPhone boxes. The system remotely powers on an iPhone, installs an iOS update, then powers it back down, without opening its box! Fancy, right? 



Curiously, it's not entirely clear how the update would be triggered for a MacBook. The device for iPhones relies on NFC to kick off the wireless session, but currently, Macs don't have NFC chips. Previously, some models had it, but not anymore, as it seems. 

Apple might quietly re-add the hardware just for this purpose, though. Or maybe, Cupertino can use the Bluetooth feature that allows the iPhone to remain findable even after it's been powered off. It's not clear yet when Apple will do this for Macs, though, so we have to wait and see. 

I personally think that if Apple manages to pull it off, it would add to the already quite great experience when buying a new Apple product, especially a Mac or a MacBook. Having the device not need to be updated straight away may be a tiny thing, but it's cool nonetheless. So hopefully this leak turns out right. 

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