Apple is readying a new system that will allow Apple retail store staff to wirelessly update the software on in-stock iPhones prior to sale. The updates can occur without taking the devices out of their packaging.
The news comes from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman in the latest edition of his Power On newsletter. Gurman says the new proprietary update system, dubbed “Presto,” relies on MagSafe and other wireless technologies, and “looks a bit like a metal cubby for shoes.”
The new update system will begin rolling out widely across the U.S. in April. Apple intends to have the technology rolled out to all U.S. retail stores by early summer, Gurman added.
Last October, I reported that Apple was developing a proprietary system that allows an iPhone’s software to be updated at a retail store — while still in its packaging. This can happen while the device sits in the inventory room before it’s sold. When a customer buys the iPhone, it then comes out of the box with the latest version of iOS. This is all done completely wirelessly using a new system called Presto within Apple.
The system looks a bit like a metal cubby for shoes. It can use MagSafe and other wireless technologies to power up the iPhone without ever cracking open the packaging. It downloads and installs new software and then powers the phone back down.
Before the end of 2023, Apple started testing the system at select retail stores. Now, I’m told, the company will begin rolling it out widely across the US in April. It hopes to have the technology in all of its retail stores in America by early summer.
The system should eliminate the need for an iPhone buyer to update the device’s software immediately after taking it out of the box.