Apple, the famous apple brand, has been hiding the Bitcoin white paper on your computer for a long time and without a clue. Titled "simpledoc.pdf", the file was discovered hidden deep within Apple's system files on machines running macOS Catalina or later.

Bitcoin is all around us, even on Apple computers

If you own a latest generation Apple computer, you have probably already hosted the Bitcoin whitepaper without necessarily being aware of it.

The Bitcoin whitepaper is a summary document of how Bitcoin works. Titled "Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System", it describes the basic principles of the Bitcoin blockchain and how it allows electronic transactions to be conducted in a secure and decentralised manner. It was published in 2008 by its illustrious creator, Satoshi Nakamoto, a famous and still unknown figure.

This fragment of cryptographic history was discovered a few days ago in the system files of macOS Catalina and later versions. The find, made by an independent blogger named Andy Baio, was first reported on his blog Waxy. Baio says he discovered the Bitcoin white paper while trying to solve a technical problem with his printer.

To access the document, Baio recommends opening Terminal and entering a specific command, which is as follows

open /System/Library/Image\Capture/Devices/VirtualScanner.app/Contents/Resources/simpledoc.pdf

If you are not comfortable with command lines, you can also find the file by browsing your computer's folders via File Explorer.

Apple and Bitcoin, an impossible love affair?

Despite the discovery of the Bitcoin white paper on Apple computers, the relationship between the Apple brand and the blockchain and cryptocurrency industry is rather mixed. Although Apple allowed the sale of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) through its App Store last year, it also levied a 30% commission on app developers who generated more than $1 million in revenue through its platform.

While the presence of the Bitcoin whitepaper in Apple's system files may seem anecdotal, it is nonetheless an interesting discovery for cryptocurrency and blockchain enthusiasts. If you are curious and own a latest generation Apple computer, you too can go in search of this seminal document.