The Bitcoin white paper was discovered deep within Apple’s system files on macOS Catalina or later devices. The file, labeled “simpledoc.pdf,” looks to contain Satoshi Nakamoto’s idea for decentralized cash based on a public ledger in all of its nine pages of grandeur.
On the day of Nakamoto’s 48th birthday, an independent blogger, Andy Baio, first revealed the subtle homage to the world’s oldest blockchain on his Waxy blog.Â
“I was really attempting to repair my printer,” Baio explained to Blockworks. “I was attempting to scan a document with my wireless printer/scanner, but the device was not appearing in Image Capture after I recently upgraded macOS.” I’d never seen (or noticed?) this “Virtual Scanner II” equipment before.”
“I googled “Virtual Scanner II” to learn more, and there were almost no references to it at all, mostly just the old Twitter thread I linked to.” “In that discussion, he states where the files are on the filesystem, which I confirmed. I asked some friends whether they could see the same thing using the Terminal command I developed, and they could, so I wrote about it!”
Baio has no explanation for why the document appears buried in an obscure folder on macOS, but claims that it is present in all modern versions of the operating system. Apple did not react promptly to Blockworks’ request for comment.
If you are not an Apple expert, he suggests that you “open Finder and click on Macintosh HD, then open the SystemLibraryImage CaptureDevices folder.” Control-click on VirtualScanner.app and select Show Package Contents, then navigate to the ContentsResources folder and open simpledoc.pdf.”
But wait, there’s more. Baio adds that there is additional step required to access the document: “In Image Capture, if it exists, choose the “Virtual Scanner II” device, and in the Details, set the Media to “Document” and the Media DPI to “72 DPI.” You should look at the first page of the Bitcoin paper.”
Baio claims that the document has been discovered by several acquaintances, and Blockworks has independently confirmed that it does exist in the place he mentions.
Apple’s relationship with the crypto and blockchain industries has been rocky, with the tech giant permitting NFTs to be purchased and traded through apps on its App Store in the latter half of last year.
The change was intended to allow app developers to sell NFTs in-app and new apps to install tokens within them, but there was a catch.Â
In order to capitalize on the excitement (and monetary rewards) generated by the embryonic technology, Apple chose to take a 30% cut from App developers earning more than $1 million through its store, and a 15% cut from those earning less.
