As technology blogger Andy Baio discovered, a copy of the groundbreaking Bitcoin white paper has been secretly incorporated into Apple’s macOS.
Baio confirmed that the file is present in every version of macOS available in 2018—from Mojave to Ventura. The Bitcoin white paper is kept on a “Virtual Scanner II” device in the Image Capture program. Users can launch Terminal on their Mac and enter a specific command to view the Bitcoin white paper. Also, they have access to the Finder’s System folder.
What made the Bitcoin whitepaper to be chosen?
Including the Bitcoin white paper in macOS raises questions about Apple’s intentions. CEO Apple Cook acknowledged owning cryptocurrency in 2021, according to U.Today.
Unknown is whether the publication of the document was a conscious choice or a mistake made by a Bitcoin enthusiast working for the company. The white paper was chosen because of its compact size, which made it ideal for testing.
The existence of the white document was also highlighted by a member of the Apple community in 2021, but neither Apple nor its staff has explained it. The riddle remains unsolved as individuals continue to look into the macOS easter egg.
The device, which showed a preview of a painted sign imitating a Thomas Hawk image, was found on Josh D’s Mac in 2020.
Later, he found that the gadget also had a well-known Bitcoin white paper PDF. The purpose of Virtual Scanner II remains a mystery.
A trustworthy source informed Baio that the problem was brought up internally about a year ago and assigned to the engineer in charge of putting the PDF into the system for the first time. This guy hasn’t done anything yet, though.
Another strange thing is a 2,634×3,916 JPEG image of a sign on Treasure Island in the San Francisco Bay, found in the Resources folder and used to test the Picture media type. Despite the lack of EXIF material, photographer Thomas Hawk could pinpoint where he took a virtually identical photo in 2008.
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