Apple retail stores are now receiving information about the company's new system for wirelessly updating iPhone software prior to sale, iGen reports.
Last week, Bloomberg's Mark Gurmanreported that the new proprietary system, called "Presto," will begin operation across the U.S. in April. Gurman first reported on the wireless system in October, describing it as a "proprietary pad-like device" upon which retail store staff can place a sealed iPhone box. The system wirelessly turns on the iPhone inside, updates its software to the latest available version, and then powers it off.
Presto features small lockers that can accommodate six iPhone boxes simultaneously. There are markings to ensure that boxes are correctly positioned for NFC depending on their size. Once correctly positioned, the iPhone will update within 15 to 30 minutes. iGen has now shared a still from a video showing two of the machines stacked one on top of the other:
Presto was developed by Apple's Backstage Operations team, which designs tools for technicians and retail store employees. The company developed "Presto" as a way to avoid selling iPhones in retail stores with outdated software. For example, the iPhone 15 series shipped with iOS 17, but Apple subsequently released iOS 17.0.1 before the devices launched. The update was required to fix an issue that prevented the transfer of data directly from another iPhone during the initial setup process.
Apple apparently intends to have the technology in all U.S. retail stores by early summer. Retail locations outside the U.S. are also now receiving information about how Presto works.
Saturday February 7, 2026 9:26 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple today shared an ad that shows how the upgraded Center Stage front camera on the latest iPhones improves the process of taking a group selfie.
"Watch how the new front facing camera on iPhone 17 Pro takes group selfies that automatically expand and rotate as more people come into frame," says Apple. While the ad is focused on the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, the regular iPhone...
Thursday February 5, 2026 12:22 pm PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple plans to announce the iPhone 17e on Thursday, February 19, according to Macwelt, the German equivalent of Macworld.
The report, citing industry sources, is available in English on Macworld.
Apple announced the iPhone 16e on Wednesday, February 19 last year, so the iPhone 17e would be unveiled exactly one year later if this rumor is accurate. It is quite uncommon for Apple to unveil...
Thursday February 5, 2026 12:54 pm PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple turns 50 this year, and its CEO Tim Cook has promised to celebrate the milestone. The big day falls on April 1, 2026.
"I've been unusually reflective lately about Apple because we have been working on what do we do to mark this moment," Cook told employees today, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. "When you really stop and pause and think about the last 50 years, it makes your heart ...
Friday February 6, 2026 3:06 pm PST by Juli Clover
In the iOS 26.4 update that's coming this spring, Apple will introduce a new version of Siri that's going to overhaul how we interact with the personal assistant and what it's able to do.
The iOS 26.4 version of Siri won't work like ChatGPT or Claude, but it will rely on large language models (LLMs) and has been updated from the ground up.
Upgraded Architecture
The next-generation...
Tuesday February 3, 2026 7:47 am PST by Joe Rossignol
While the iOS 26.3 Release Candidate is now available ahead of a public release, the first iOS 26.4 beta is likely still at least a week away. Following beta testing, iOS 26.4 will likely be released to the general public in March or April.
Below, we have recapped known or rumored iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 features so far.
iOS 26.3
iPhone to Android Transfer Tool
iOS 26.3 makes it easier...
I’d guess that this is not much more than magsafe + some NFC chip that the iPhone “knows” means to turn on and automatically connect to wifi + download the latest update
What security mitigations are in place? If you can tamper with a device that still has tamper proof seal in place
Anyone could do anything to it. What if government uses it as a way to change settings to an iPhone going to a certain politician, or business person, or anyone?
I admit I am no expert on this topic, but how is this not a potential security issue?
In other words, how can Apple guarantee that someone (e.g. the NSA) won't build/steal/buy a similar machine to update phones to a new, custom OS (that NSA created) that is less secure?
Because the machine doesn't install the software, it just turns the phone on and the phone connects to Apple's servers for the update. Unless Apple's servers are compromised, this isn't an issue (and if they are, we have far bigger issues).
This is very smart. In my last position, I often had to deal with users getting "new" phones -- new in box, but they'd been that way for a while -- where the first thing we had to do was update iOS to the latest version. This wouldn't have helped me, since it's only for Apple Stores, but nice to see that any phone you buy in a store should always be on the latest iOS as soon as you take it out of the box.
Anyone could do anything to it. What if government uses it as a way to change settings to an iPhone going to a certain politician, or business person, or anyone?
They would need Apple’s signing keys. IPhones only accept updates signed by Apple.
