Apple has come up with a way to update an iPhone still in its packaging, with a system allowing for iOS updates to be applied to unopened smartphones while still in an Apple Store.
One of the problems of buying hardware is that consumers often discover their devices need a software update straight out of the box. This can also apply to devices that have just launched, such as the iPhone 15, which needed an iOS 17.0.1 update that was released before the hardware actually shipped.
Writing in his “Power On” newsletter for Bloomberg, Mark Gurman claims that Apple has a system that can update the operating system of iPhones before they get sold. Crucially, it can do so without opening the box.
Consisting of a “pad-like device,” store employees place unopened iPhone boxes onto it to trigger an update. The pad wirelessly turns on the iPhone, runs the software update, then turns it off again.
While only iPhones are mentioned in the report, it’s plausible that the idea could be extended to other products in Apple’s catalog.
It is claimed that consumers may benefit from the system at Apple Stores before the end of 2023.
