It’s a pretty common experience to have to download and install a big operating system update as the very first thing when you unbox your brand new device. It’s not great, especially when the setup and restore process is already a lengthy one and you just want to use your new Mac already.
Apple has a solution for that with iPhones. A system called “Presto” in Apple stores can wirelessly update an iPhone and apply the latest software update while it’s still sealed in the box and hasn’t gone through setup yet. According to 9to5Mac, code in the latest macOS 26 beta 3 update suggests that Apple is preparing a similar system for MacBooks.
It’s not exactly clear how this would work, however. iPhones use wireless charging to supply power and NFC to trigger the update, placing sealed-in-box iPhones in a special six-slot “toaster” device to around half an hour to apply updates. MacBooks have neither wireless power nor NFC, so one wonders how the update process would be triggered. Perhaps the same Bluetooth LE beacon feature that allows iPhones to be found with Find My even when turned off, can be added to MacBooks and used for this purpose?
However Apple intends to implement this feature, buying a Mac with the latest macOS update—or at least critical last-minute updates—already installed would be a boon for consumers.
Author: Jason Cross, Senior Editor, Macworld
Jason has written about technology for more than 25 years - first in the gaming press, then focusing on enthusiast PCs and general technology. He enjoys learning how complicated technology works and explaining it in a way anyone can understand.