Photo: Apple/Cult of Mac
The next time you buy a new iPhone, it could come out of the box with a fresh iOS software update, according to a new report. A new proprietary system called “Presto” will update it right in the packaging before you buy it at an Apple Store.
Normally, updating iOS is one of the first orders of business for new iPhone purchases. Now it won’t be necessary unless a new update comes out right after their purchase.
Presto iOS updates: Apple’s new system refreshes iPhone software in the box
The new Presto system should start rolling out in Apple Stores in the United States in April. That’s according to Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman’s PowerOn newsletter on Sunday. He first mentioned Presto in October 2023, noting the wireless system will update iPhones on store shelves before they’re sold.
Here’s more of what he wrote Sunday, saying Presto looks like a “metal cubby for shoes”:
Apple prepares to roll out its in-box iPhone software update feature to all US retail stores. 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.
Apple tested the new Presto iOS updates system in late 2023, the report said. And the iPhone giant hopes to roll it out in all U.S. stores by early summer.