Apple's Presto in-box iPhone updater looks like a pizza oven

AppleInsider

Presto, a device designed to update unsold iPhones at Apple Stores without opening the packaging, has been revealed in a photograph, showing it can handle multiple iPhones at once.

Apple's Presto [iGeneration]

On Sunday, a report claimed that Apple was rolling out a new piece of hardware to Apple Stores across the United States in April, to help improve the new customer experience. In a photograph shared on Wednesday, we now know what this device looks like.

Named Presto, the machine shown in the shot published by iGeneration, the device has the task of performing software updates on an iPhone while it is still in the box. It does so by connecting wirelessly to the iPhone to trigger the update, while also simultaneously providing power via a MagSafe-like system.

The hardware itself broadly looks like an small pizza oven, with two long slots to insert iPhones. Each slot comfortably holds three iPhone boxes, meaning each Presto device can handle up to six iPhones simultaneously, with it also being stackable allowing more Presto units to be installed in sometimes limited support space.

Each iPhone is placed on a template, which allows store staff to correctly position each box according to its size and contents, so they line up with the internal components. While it takes around 20 seconds for a box to be positioned, it can take 15 to 30 minutes for the iOS update to be performed, followed by an automatic device shutdown.

The result is that customers leave the store with an iPhone that is already up to date and not requiring an update after the initial powering on by the user. Apple believes this could shave around 20 minutes off the time it takes for a user to configure their new iPhone, reducing the time and frustration of waiting to play with their new smartphone.

While Presto is planned to be introduced across all U.S. stores starting from April and concluding in the summer, Apple is already advising other teams as to how the hardware works. This indicates Apple plans to bring it to other territories in the future.



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mikethemartian

I wonder how long it is going to be until someone figures how to use this to hack your iPhone before you purchase it.

apple4thewin

Imagine apple makes data transfer available via magsafe like those patents many years ago

bsimpsen

mikethemartian said:

I wonder how long it is going to be until someone figures how to use this to hack your iPhone before you purchase it.

This would require the hacker to have access to the Presto hardware and all the documentation about how it works. If a hacker can obtain an iPhone before it's sold, there are far easier ways to hack it.

apple4thewin said:

Imagine apple makes data transfer available via magsafe like those patents many years ago

MagSafe/Qi chargers operate in the region of 360KHz. Why would Apple try to funnel data through that interface when multi-Gbps Wi-Fi is right there?

mknelson

mikethemartian said:

I wonder how long it is going to be until someone figures how to use this to hack your iPhone before you purchase it.

This would require the hacker to have access to the Presto hardware and all the documentation about how it works. If a hacker can obtain an iPhone before it's sold, there are far easier ways to hack it.

apple4thewin said:

Imagine apple makes data transfer available via magsafe like those patents many years ago

MagSafe/Qi chargers operate in the region of 360KHz. Why would Apple try to funnel data through that interface when multi-Gbps Wi-Fi is right there?

Hardware and likely software - some of Apple's diagnostics have required a "server" on premises running a proprietary application. This likely has a similar requirement.