Apple Planning System for Retail Stores to Update iPhone Software With No Need to Open Box

[MacRumors]

Apple is planning to implement an innovative new system that allows retail store staff to wirelessly update iPhones inside their sealed boxes, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.

In the most recent "Power On" newsletter, Gurman outlined how Apple plans to tackle brand new iPhones being sold in retail stores with outdated software. For example, the iPhone 15 lineup shipped with iOS 17, but iOS 17.0.1 was already available upon its launch and the devices required a update to iOS 17.0.2 to fix an issue that prevented the transfer of data directly from another iPhone during the setup process.

Apple wants customers to receive iPhones with the latest version of iOS to avoid users having to update themselves, especially if important updates have been pushed to address high-profile bugs. Before the end of the next year, Apple will apparently provide a new system to retail stores to address this. It features a "proprietary pad-like device" that retail store staff can place a sealed iPhone box on top of. The system then wirelessly turns on the iPhone, updates its software to the latest version, and powers it off, with no need to open the device's packaging.

Article Link: Apple Planning System for Retail Stores to Update iPhone Software With No Need to Open Box

 

[I7guy]

Bravo apple. Very cool idea.

 

[Franjelisco]

So everytime a new update comes out all the iphone inventory has to be taken out and placed on that pad? Many stores have hundreds if not thousands of iPhones in all models, colours and capacities. How many pads per store are needed for this system to be effective? Seems like a nightmare for employees…

 

[adrianjagielak]

I've always had this issue where I needed to update a newly bought device before I could restore an iCloud backup on it. It's great that this is finally being addressed.

 

[adammusic]

I kind of thought they already did this somehow

 

[thisisnotmyname]

Sounds like a great new attack vector for high level (state sponsored and such) hacking

 

[one more]

Was not that the case already? My new iPhone 15 came with iOS 17.0.2 out of the box.

 

[Capeto]

Sounds like a great new attack vector for high level (state sponsored and such) hacking

Exactly what I was thinking– having a way to wirelessly change the software on your phone when it's off seems like a huge security risk.

 

[Ho Tai]

So everytime a new update comes out all the iphone inventory has to be taken out and placed on that pad? Many stores have hundreds if not thousands of iPhones in all models, colours and capacities. How many pads per store are needed for this system to be effective? Seems like a nightmare for employees…

Maybe they only do enough to satisfy typical demand. It certainly complicates inventory management.

 

[gigatoaster]

I just got an iPhone 15 for my mom and I couldn’t transfer data. I had to check MR to find out you need to update to 17.0.3 in order to get things working. So thank you MR but no thank you Apple.

 

[Ho Tai]

I buy my phones from my carrier to get their deals. Maybe Apple would make this new device available to the carriers also (for a price, of course).

 

[MuppetGate]

So everytime a new update comes out all the iphone inventory has to be taken out and placed on that pad? Many stores have hundreds if not thousands of iPhones in all models, colours and capacities. How many pads per store are needed for this system to be effective? Seems like a nightmare for employees…

My thinking is that this is only needed for the kind of problems that will cause the device to fail on startup if the update isn’t applied before uploading info from your old phone.

A bit like the problem they just fixed.

 

[aorr]

What about depleting the batteries of the phones as these updates are periodically installed?! Surely the pad can’t also wireless charge rhe phone with all the box material between the phone and pad?

 

[JasperJanssen]

doesn’t an iPhone that’s off turn on when you put it on a MagSafe charger? That might be how they’re doing the initial wake.

Certainly *part* of it turns on, in the charge circuit.

 

[djphat2000]

Sounds like a great new attack vector for high level (state sponsored and such) hacking

Exactly. I'm not for this.

 

[CarAnalogy]

Sounds like a great new attack vector for high level (state sponsored and such) hacking

My first thought exactly. This better be super secure, and disabled if the device has been through first run setup.

 

[zach-coleman]

I’ve always been curious about this. Kind of shocked they actually couldn’t change anything after the phones left the factory until now.

 

[jinnj]

So everytime a new update comes out all the iphone inventory has to be taken out and placed on that pad? Many stores have hundreds if not thousands of iPhones in all models, colours and capacities. How many pads per store are needed for this system to be effective? Seems like a nightmare for employees…

The shelf life of Apple devices do not span multiple software updates. Tim Cook is where he is at because he reduce shelf life from months and years down to weeks.

 

[coffeemilktea]

So a device that turns on iPhones that were powered off, pushes software to them, and then shuts them back down? That doesn't sound like a potential security nightmare at all. 🤪

 

[sahajesh]

So everytime a new update comes out all the iphone inventory has to be taken out and placed on that pad? Many stores have hundreds if not thousands of iPhones in all models, colours and capacities. How many pads per store are needed for this system to be effective? Seems like a nightmare for employees…

Yeah because having to open the boxes, plug them in and reseal the boxes is so much easier.

 

[SoldOnApple]

Nintendo and other console makers take note.

 

[SoldOnApple]

So a device that turns on iPhones that were powered off, pushes software to them, and then shuts them back down? That doesn't sound like a potential security nightmare at all. 🤪

Mossad's dream come true.

 

[ghanwani]

Hopefully that new iPhone doesn’t get bricked during an update.

 

[Tenkaykev]

So everytime a new update comes out all the iphone inventory has to be taken out and placed on that pad? Many stores have hundreds if not thousands of iPhones in all models, colours and capacities. How many pads per store are needed for this system to be effective? Seems like a nightmare for employees…

Schrodingers update. Did it update successfully ? 🤔

 

[NMBob]

If they wrote better software to start with...