• Apple has removed the Bitcoin white paper from the latest MacOS Ventura 13.4 beta version of its operating system upgrade.
• The Bitcoin white paper had been secretly shipped inside all versions of the Apple Mac operating system since 2018.
• A court in California recently ruled that Apple violated state competition laws by preventing developers from using alternative in-app payment methods.
Apple Removes Bitcoin White Paper From Latest macOS Upgrade
Apple has removed a copy of Satoshi Nakamoto’s Bitcoin (BTC) white paper from the latest beta version of its operating system upgrade, MacOS Ventura 13.4. The document was found within Virtual Scanner II in macOS and it is believed to have been secretly shipped inside all versions of the Apple Mac OS since 2018.
Why Was The White Paper Removed?
It is unclear why Apple decided to remove the document, however there have been rumors that it was added as a “joke among Apple engineers” or as part of a wild conspiracy theory suggesting Steve Jobs being Satoshi Nakamoto. However, these theories have not been confirmed by any official source and therefore it is likely that Apple simply wants to remain neutral when it comes to cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology in general.
California Court Upholds Ban on Alternative In-App Payments
In related news, a court in California recently ruled that Apple violated state competition laws by preventing developers from using alternative in-app payment methods such as NFTs (non-fungible tokens). This forced developers to use only their own payment platform where they would incur a 30% commission fee on purchases made through their services.
Implications for Crypto Adoption
The removal of the Bitcoin white paper suggests that while Apple may be open to exploring crypto technology, it does not want this exploration associated with its brand or products at this time. This could be due to regulatory concerns or simply because they do not want to alienate potential customers who may not share an interest in cryptocurrency adoption yet.
Conclusion
While it remains unclear why exactly Apple removed the Bitcoin white paper from its latest OS update, this move does appear to suggest that although they are interested in blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies, they are still reluctant to make any big moves until further regulation is put into place regarding digital assets.