A startling discovery has been made that every version of macOS that has been shipped since 2018 has contained the original whitepaper outlining how Bitcoin works. The discovery was made by a developer named Andy Baio, who was attempting to fix a printer issue and stumbled upon the document in the Image Capture utility built into macOS.
To locate the Bitcoin whitepaper on a Mac, users can navigate to the following folders: Macintosh HD > System > Library > Image Capture > Devices. Once in the Devices folder, holding down Control on the keyboard and clicking Virtual Scanner and Show Package Contents will reveal the document called simpledoc.pdf, which is the Bitcoin whitepaper.
The inclusion of the Bitcoin whitepaper in macOS raises many questions about why it is there and what it signifies. While there has been no official statement from Apple regarding its inclusion, it is possible that it was placed there as an Easter Egg, designed to serve as a practical sample document and an intriguing discovery for those who come across it.
The fact that Apple has always been relatively cool towards cryptocurrencies makes this discovery more surprising. However, some have speculated that Apple could be trying to link itself to Bitcoin and start conspiracy theories regarding its involvement in the cryptocurrency.
Regardless of its intent, the discovery of the Bitcoin whitepaper in macOS has caused quite a stir in the tech community, and it will be interesting to see if Apple offers any further explanation for its inclusion.