Recently, Apple computers have removed the Bitcoin whitepaper from their store following a belated discovery of the document. The Bitcoin whitepaper was originally released in 2008 by the mysterious Satoshi Nakamoto and lays out the framework for the first-ever cryptocurrency. It garnered renewed attention in recent months due to the rise in popularity and value of Bitcoin. The removal of the whitepaper by Apple has raised concerns about censorship and the future of cryptocurrency in the digital space.
Uncovering the Secret Bitcoin Whitepaper Hidden in Macintosh Computers
The internet was buzzing recently when news broke that an original digital copy of the Bitcoin whitepaper had been hidden on Macintosh computers for more than five years. While this came as a surprise to many Apple users, it was just the latest in a long line of “Easter eggs” that Apple has planted over the years.
Joshua Dickens, a designer, was the first to spot the PDF document hidden on Macintosh computers in 2020. However, it wasn’t until the noted technologist, Andy Baio, wrote about it in April of 2021, that the news went viral.
The discovery of the Bitcoin whitepaper on Macintosh computers has prompted many questions, including why Apple chose the Bitcoin whitepaper specifically. Some speculate that it could have been a convenient, lightweight multipage PDF for testing purposes, never meant to be seen by end users.
Interestingly, the presence of the Bitcoin whitepaper on Macintosh computers has also prompted legal disputes, with Craig Wright, who has long claimed to be Bitcoin’s pseudonymous creator Satoshi Nakamoto, stating that Apple was violating his copyright. Wright had previously gotten a court order to force the website Bitcoin.org to remove a copy of the paper in 2021, but the website refused to comply.
According to participants in Apple’s Beta Software Program, upcoming versions of MacOS Ventura will not contain the file, nor the other elements with which it was initially bundled, a test driver for a virtual scanner to allow developers to work with the operating system’s image capture module. The files were never intended to be discovered by average users, located in hidden system files.
It remains unclear why the Bitcoin whitepaper was added to the Macintosh system, but the news has sparked interest in the Bitcoin community, as well as among Apple enthusiasts.
If you want to stay on top of crypto news, sign up for daily updates in your inbox.