In a new secret finding, it has been discovered that there is a hidden Bitcoin whitepaper in most versions of MacBook. This raised a lot of questions about Apple's MacBook. Is the tech giant a secret supporter of the crypto industry, or did an employee make the mistake of leaving the document in the test version of some MacBook versions? Either way, an independent blogger named Andy Baio revealed the information in a blog post by narrating what led to the discovery and how he stumbled upon such a top-hidden secret. In the blog post's comment section, it was discovered that Andy Baio wasn't the only Mac user with the pdf version of the Bitcoin whitepaper on their computer.
While explaining the situation, Baio noted that the incident had been concurrent with every modern version of the MacBook since version 10.14.0. Further query from Baio showed that the pdf document is contained in every version of macOS from Mojave (10.14.0), released in September 2018, to the current version. Since the Mojave version, Apple developers and creators have not tried to remove the hidden pdf from the computer. 2018 to 2023 is a very long time for the developers to find and rectify the issue. It leads to many questions, whether Apple is pro-Bitcoin or not.
How did The Discovery Happen?
From his narration, the independent blogger accidentally discovered the pdf version of the Bitcoin whitepaper. Before finding the document, he had tried fixing his printer connectivity with his MacBook.
"While trying to fix my printer today, I discovered that a PDF copy of Satoshi Nakamoto's Bitcoin whitepaper shipped with every copy of macOS since Mojave in 2018. I've asked over a dozen Mac-using friends to confirm, and it was there for every one of them. The file is found in every version of macOS from Mojave (10.14.0) to the current version, Ventura (13.3), but isn't in High Sierra (10.13) or earlier," Baio said in the narration.
Baio had to type a command before he discovered the document. The software leading to the hidden pdf is also hidden in most MacBooks, making the whole situation even more sketchy. According to Baio, you have to type the following command, "open /System/Library/Image\ Capture/Devices/VirtualScanner.app/Contents/Resources/simpledoc.pdf", in the terminal. The blogger said the pdf version of the Bitcoin whitepaper should immediately open if you're on macOS 10.14 or later.
The software which the pdf contains is known as Image Capture utility, and the whitepaper is used as a sample document for the software.
Why Bitcoin Whitepaper as a Sample Document?
This latest Apple Bitcoin news has raised questions like why Apple should use a Bitcoin whitepaper for its sample document. Are there not any other documents in the world?
Baio wasn't the first person that discovers the hidden software with pdf. A MacBook user named Joshua Dickens also saw the software, which contains a Bitcoin whitepaper pdf. With MacBook users getting more aware of the hidden pdf, Apple might have to speak up and clarify the situation to the public.