Anyone who has bought a new iPhone and wants to set it up at home knows the problem: the operating system installed is often not the current version, so you initially have to go through a long update process. Although this is now done naturally as part of the setup process (and no longer has to be done manually as before), it still costs time and inconveniences many buyers. This is set to change in the future: Apple has implemented a new process by which iPhones will be updated in the store – in the box.
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No need to remove iPhone
It became known last fall that this new job was planned. However, it seemed to take longer before implementation was possible. As Bloomberg journalist Mark Gurman reported in his Sunday newsletter, the new “ownership system” will be implemented starting in April. The hardware and software required for this is called Presto and is being delivered now and should be available at all Apple retail stores in the USA by early summer.
The Presto works completely wirelessly and the iPhone case can remain closed. “It's kind of like a metal shoe compartment,” Gorman says. The system uses “MagSafe and other wireless technologies” for the power supply and the update itself — although the MagSafe has to be very tight in order for it to fit through the packaging. According to the report, Presto “downloads new software, installs it, and then turns the phone off again.”
What about security?
The first tests have been conducted in selected stores since December 2023 and have been successfully completed. “When a customer buys an iPhone, it comes with the latest version of iOS.” Additional concrete details about the technical functionality of Presto are still not available. Apple itself has not yet provided any more detailed information about this matter.
Accordingly, it is unknown how the system (and the iPhones themselves) will be protected from misuse and tampering via this new software delivery route. If there is a lack of robust security, attacks on the supply chain are also possible – that is, attacks on the route from factory to retailer. Apple may have taken this into consideration.
(Bachelor's)
