Apple’s Presto system is even more sophisticated than it first appeared

Apple has recently started in-store testing of a Presto system, which can provide software updates to iPhone stock in Apple Stores without even opening the boxes.

We now have more details about how Presto works, and it’s even more sophisticated than it first appeared …

Apple’s Presto system

One of the pain points of buying a new iPhone from an Apple Store (or other retailer) is that iOS software updates may have been issued since it was made, so the first thing you have to do with it is update it to the latest version. That can take some time on the store wifi.

We first learned back in October of last year that Apple was working on a method of updating iPhones in-store, without needing to open the box. 9to5Mac subsequently found evidence of this in iOS 17.2.

It was reported last week that the system would be coming to US Apple Stores in April, after tests at selected stores, and French site iGeneration gave us our first look at the device.

It describes Presto as a “small two-spoke locker” that is similar to a “toaster” in some ways. It can accommodate up to six iPhones at the same time, with built-in guardrails to hold different-sized iPhone box in place. 

Presto is a a very sophisticated system

It’s a clever enough thing to power up an iPhone, update its software, and then power it back down all without opening the box. But iGeneration has now obtained more details of how it all works, and the ‘toaster’ is actually part of a complete inventory management system.

There’s a Mac mini running the software, and when a technician scans an iPhone box, the phone is added to the queue of devices waiting to be updated. But the system also lets staff know which phones still need to be updated, and checks daily sales records to determine how many need to be prepped the next day.

This queue can also list iPhones stored in stock and that need to be updated […] Its content takes into account the store’s sales forecasts to choose the iPhones to take out of stock for processing. The team is constantly aware throughout the day of how many iPhones they need to go through Presto and which ones have been through Presto.

When a customer buys a particular SKU (one example of a particular iPhone model, storage tier, and color), then the system prompts staff to update another one. This ensures that no matter what a customer wants to buy, there is always at least one up-to-date model in stock at any given time.

When new iPhones arrive in store, the system knows which of them need to be updated. When a new iOS update goes live, the system automatically flags all stock as in need of an update.

iGeneration says that all staff get to participate in the process, even if they haven’t specifically been trained to use Presto. When a phone is updated, a status LED changes from white to green, so any member of staff passing by knows they can remove it from the machine and add it to the updated stock section.

Photo: iGeneration