After news broke that every Apple computer running on macOS since 2017 hides the original Bitcoin whitepaper penned by the pseudonymous BTC creator Satoshi Nakamoto, the tech giant made a move and removed the said crypto document without giving any explanation.

The nine-page document which sets the basic structure of the Bitcoin network, talks about a decentralized peer-to-peer electronic payment system that allows financial transfers without the need for a bank. It was first discovered in April 2021 by a user who goes by the handle bernd178. The user shared the information on the MacOS Community Forum.

The "Easter Egg" or a hidden secret feature went viral this year when Andy Baio, a popular technologist spoke about it.

"Of all the documents in the world, why was the Bitcoin whitepaper chosen? Is there a secret Bitcoin maxi working at Apple?" Baio wondered and speculated, "Maybe it was just a convenient, lightweight multi-page PDF for testing purposes, never meant to be seen by end users."

Apple did not release any official statement related to the discovery even if it became a topic of many discussions within tech and crypto communities on various social media platforms.

Instead, a recent evaluation conducted by participants of Apple's Beta Software Program showed that the beta version of the upcoming macOS update, macOS Ventura 13.4, no longer contains the crucial cryptocurrency document, nor the Virtual Scanner II tool, a test driver for a virtual scanner where the file was initially bundled.

The discovery triggered the birth of several conspiracy theories, including discussions surrounding the identity of Satoshi Nakamoto, who on Dec. 12, 2010, sent his final public message and told early members of the Bitcointalk forum that there is still a lot of work to be done to improve the Bitcoin network.

While there are many speculations surrounding the presence of Bitcoin whitepaper in Apple's macOS, Baio later claimed that a source inside the tech giant informed him that the cryptocurrency document was filed as a developer's work ticket last year and was assigned to the same person who previously hid the Bitcoin whitepaper in the system.

"A little bird tells me that someone internally filed it as an issue nearly a year ago, assigned to the same engineer who put the PDF there in the first place, and that person hasn't taken action or commented on the issue since. They've indicated it will likely be removed in future versions," Baio said.

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Apple's plan to merge iOS and macOS apps might not happen until 2019. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic
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