Currently WhitepaperBitcoin is available in macOS versions from Mojave (10.14.0) to the current latest version, Ventura (13.3). Older versions from High Sierra (10.13) and below will not be available. If you are using a Macbook, open Terminal and type the following command:
open /System/Library/Image\ Capture/Devices/VirtualScanner.app/Contents/Resources/simpledoc.pdf
If you're using macOS 10.14 or later, the Bitcoin PDF will appear immediately in Preview. Or you can open Finder and click Macintosh HD, then open the folder System → Library → Capture → Devices. Control-click VirtualScanner.app and Show Package Contents, open the Contents → Resources folder inside, then open simpledoc.pdf.
In the Image Capture utility, the Bitcoin Whitepaper is used as a sample document for a device called “Virtual Scanner II”, which is hidden or not installed by default. It's unclear why it's hidden from some or what exactly it's used for, but Reid Beels suggests that it could provide capacity for the “Import from iPhone” feature.
In Image Capture, select the “Virtual Scanner II” device if available, and in the Details section, set Media to “Document” and Media DPI to “72 DPI”. You will see a first page preview of the Bitcoin Whitepaper.
Why did the bitcoin whitepaper appear on macOS
Among billions of documents, why was the Bitcoin Whitepaper chosen? Is there a secret Bitcoin philosophy at work within Apple? The file name is “simpledoc.pdf” and is only 184 KB. Maybe it's just a lightweight PDF, convenient for testing purposes, and not easily visible to users.
Another strange thing: there is a file named cover.jpg in the Resources folder that is used to check the Photo media type, a 2,634×3,916 JPEG photo of a sign taken on Treasure Island in San Francisco Bay. There is no EXIF metadata in the file, but photographer Thomas Hawk identified it as the location of a nearly identical photo he took in 2008.
Who can explain this interesting event?
