When it comes to quickly taking care of daily tasks, the command line can be both powerful and dangerous. Take today’s commands as an example: the rm command allows you to remove (or delete) files. The rmdir command does the same to directories (also know as folders). But be careful: Unlike when you move files to the Trash from the Finder, there’s no way to get them back if you use these commands. Still, if you want to tap into Terminal’s powers, this is a command you can’t overlook. I’ll show you how to add a safeguard to ensure that you only delete files you really want to delete.

Why bother deleting files with the command line?

Deleting files with the Finder isn’t too difficult, plus you can always fish files out of the Trash if you change your mind. So why bother using the command line? Here are some reasons:

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Apple is planting its own flag in the streaming wars with Apple TV+, its in-house streaming service that focuses almost entirely on original programming rather than an extensive library of existing TV shows or movies.

Though the service has been available less than a year and and doesn’t yet have a lot of shows or films available, there’s a lot in the works. This is a list of all the Apple TV+ content we know of so far, along with details about prominent stars, directors, producers, and release dates.

Updated 08/24/20: Deadline reports that Apple ordered The Essex Serpent, a period drama starring Keira Knightly. Learn more. 

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Achievement badges are a funny thing. You know they’re just a simple little bit of visual flair, they don’t even do anything, and yet for some reason you just have to collect them. Achievements are great motivators, and the achievement badges for the activity tracking on the Apple Watch have inspired many users to get more exercise.

If you want to maximize your badge count, you’re going to want to chase down as many activity achievements as you can. Most are available year-round, but there are also some time-limited special events to grab, too. Here’s a list of all the activity achievements for the Apple Watch and how to unlock them.

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The full-disk encryption system called FileVault, introduced way back in Mac OS X 10.7 Lion, keeps the data on your drive encrypted at rest. If your Mac is shut down, a malefactor can’t get at your data—they have to have a password to an account that can start up the system to unlock the encrypted data. That password must be provided when a Mac is booted, and it unlocks a key that in turn unlocks your drive’s data. Otherwise, villains are foiled.

However, FileVault is managed on a per-Mac basis, as it is tied to hardware. If you migrate your data to a new Mac, either through Migration Assistant, restoring from a Time Machine backup, or Disk Utility or third-party cloning software, you can wind up in a state in which macOS thinks FileVault is enabled, but it’s not. The copy or migration is all of unencrypted data, not the underlying encrypted format, because you need the unencrypted data to populate the new computer.

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Anyone looking for a simple, straightforward antivirus suite should consider G Data’s Antivirus for Mac. This simple antivirus app offers protection without overcomplicating itself. There are no extra frills like a VPN, encrypted cloud storage, or system maintenance utilities, for example.

Protection tests

If simplicity is what you’re looking for then G Data is worth looking at. Currently, there are no third-party tests pitting G Data against Mac malware. In our spot tests, however, we found that G Data was able to detect malware once it was unzipped. It wasn’t quite as fast at detection as other suites, but it always threw up an alert by the time we’d opened the infected folder.

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This could be it, you know. There’s a pretty good chance this is the last version of the iMac as we know it, with its iconic all-in-one design and Intel processors. Maybe there’s a chance that those Intel processors get a speed bump upgrade before switching over to Apple silicon, but regardless, they’re on their way out.

The iMac isn’t going out quietly, though. The 2020 27-inch iMac gets your attention by being a top performer with a CPU boost, SSD storage, and updated graphics. It has other features to take into consideration—namely, a new nano-texture glass front—but the emphasis is on speed. If you rely on software that takes advantage of multiple processing cores (video editors, graphics software, databases, etc.), the new iMac will satisfy your need for speed.

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Earbud makers have been busy doing away with wires—a good thing whether or not your phone still has a headset jack. At most, Bluetooth earbuds might have a wire that connects the buds themselves to each other—a nice option if you’re prone to misplacing small objects, or you want in-line controls. This is often the more affordable option too, although that is changing over time.

So-called true wireless earbuds are just that, free of any wire whatsoever. Apple AirPods are the standard bearer of this category, but there are plenty of alternatives—some more worthy than others.

That’s just one decision you have to make. Wireless earbuds also vary on price, sometimes greatly, and some might be better for audiophiles while others are better for sports. Our picks for best wireless earbuds run the gamut, so you can easily find a pair that meets your needs. Read our guide on what to look for in wireless earbuds below our recommendations.

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Updated 08/21/20: Apple's YouTube page ran a couple of brief live-streaming tests with a future date of September 10. It could be indicative of the timing for Apple's next online event.

Apple doesn’t often participate in big industry-wide events like CES or E3. The most valuable company in the world holds its own events, thank you very much. Several times a year, Apple invites the press and industry professionals out to a theater to hear all about its latest products and services. Apple calls these “Special Events,” and streams them online to its millions of fans.

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Apple Arcade is here, and you can play some of the subscription service’s many games with select models of Xbox One and PlayStation 4 controllers as well as Mfi (Made for iOS) controllers like the SteelSeries Nimbus+.

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Apple’s new Apple Arcade subscription-based gaming service is basically Apple’s way of helping customers sort through the chaff in the App Store, as the highly curated service features premium games that are untainted by in-app purchases and ads. If all goes well, it could elevate the perception of mobile gaming in general.

Got questions? We've got plenty of answers. 

Updated 08/21/20: Added Samurai Jack: Battle Through Time to the list of available games. 

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Newer Macs come with a T2 Security Chip with its own Secure Enclave, a tamper-resistent bit of silicon that allows high levels of security just like on an iPhone and iPad. It’s used to enable Touch ID and allow Apple Pay on laptops, but it also handles a number of other tasks, including full-disk encryption. (The T2 chip began appearing in Macs with the iMac Pro in very late 2017; see this list to check if you’re not sure if yours is one of them.)

On pre-T2 models, macOS uses a combination of software and hardware-accelerated encryption to encrypt all the data on your disk using FileVault, which can be turned on and off via the Security & Privacy preference pane’s FileVault tab. It can take an extremely long time for FileVault to encrypt a drive completely the first time on these older Macs and bog down a system while it is underway. Afterwards, Macs generally handle live reading and writing at almost the same speed as if the data weren’t encrypted.

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The Creative Outlier Gold true wireless earbuds remind me that comfort can be even more important than good sound quality. Yes, the buds—which look almost identical to last year’s Creative Outlier Air, but offer improved battery life—have good sound for their price and tick a lot of boxes if you’re seeking gym-friendly true-wireless earbuds for just $100. But gosh, you’d better hope you have deep ear canals, because otherwise the touch controls for the Outlier Gold rank among the most uncomfortable out there.

Note: This review is part of our roundup of wireless and true wireless earbuds. Go there for details on competing products and our testing methods.

So let’s start off with the good stuff. Again, the sound is good, particularly if you’re seeking a more balanced auditory experience instead of skull-thumping bass. The bass is satisfying enough on tracks like Billie Eilish’s “Bad Guy,” but it never hits as hard as it does with buds like Anker’s similarly priced Soundcore Spirit Dot 2. Instead, the Outlier Gold works best on tracks that emphasize both lows and highs like Queen’s “Radio Ga Ga.”

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The next version of the Mac operating system, macOS 11 Big Sur, will be officially released this fall. But you can install and run Big Sur now by joining Apple’s Public Beta program.

Interested? Here’s what you need to know about the Public Beta.

The latest: Public Beta 2 now available

Apple on Thursday release the second version of its macOS Big Sur public beta. If you installed the first version, you can get the update through Software Update, which is located in System Preferences. 

Sign up for the program and install the macOS Big Sur Public Beta

Before you can install the new operating system, you must be enrolled in the Public Beta program. You can do this through Apple’s Public Beta program website. In the Get Started section of the website, click on the “enroll your Mac” link.

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Updated 08/20/20: The second public beta is now available.

Apple has released a test version of watchOS 7 for public beta testers. The public beta is a pre-release version of the next Apple Watch operating system, which will be officially released this fall. The public beta gives users who are willing to try out beta software a chance to use the upcoming features of watchOS and the Apple Watch.

If you think you’re interested in installing the watchOS 7 beta, you should know that there are still bugs and other quirks being worked out. You can provide valuable feedback to Apple while using the beta, but you may also run into problems that could hinder your ability to use your Apple Watch.

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At the core of making an inclusive, easy-to-use software experience is recognizing that accessibility is not just code for “people with disabilities.” It’s just a set of tools to match people’s capabilities with the use of a product. We are all situationally disabled, and everyone needs different forms of help to interact with digital products.

Apple has made great strides in its accessibility features, and clearly recognizes the importance of making the iPhone or iPad easy for everyone to use, regardless of physical capabilities. But some of the coolest stuff, stuff everyone can and would want to use, is still frustratingly buried in the Accessibility section of the Settings app.

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We’ve told you about the many big changes and new features in iOS 14 and iPadOS 14, including an awesome new redesign of the home screen with Widgets and the App Library. For the last several years, Apple has made its operating systems available in a public beta, so you can kick the tires and help find bugs before its release in the fall.

If you’re interested in running the iOS 14 or iPadOS 14 public beta, here’s how you get it.

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iCloud can effectively give you up to 2TB of additional storage to supplement your Mac’s drive capacity, particularly useful with 256GB and 512GB Macs. The trick is using the Optimize Mac Storage checkbox found in the iCloud preference pane when you click Options to the right of iCloud Drive (Mojave and earlier) or in the Apple ID preference pane’s iCloud section at the main level (Catalina and later).

IDG

Raise your hand if this sounds familiar: It’s five minutes until your third-grader’s distance learning class, but just as you’re about to make sure she’s dialed into her Zoom call, something comes up with your own work.

Thirty minutes later, you finally head over to your daughter’s room, only to find her sprawled on the floor watching her iPad. Meanwhile, her Chromebook—the one she uses for Zoom calls—is securely shut. Yes, she just missed another class, and you (bad parent!) let it happen.

Keeping your kids on track while juggling your own obligations has to be one of the biggest challenges of distance learning, remote learning, virtual learning or whatever you want to call it. We’ve rounded up a few smart home solutions that can help your grade-schoolers—or at least, help you help them—to manage their schedules during what’s likely to be many more months of learning at home.

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Apple today announced that its longstanding Beats 1 radio station will change its name to the more brand-appropriate Apple Music 1 and added two new stations to its catalog: Apple Music Hits and Apple Music Country.

As their names suggest, Hits will focus on pop and country music, but they’re not just about hits from Billie Eilish, Lady Gaga, Carrie Underwood, and Blake Shelton. The stations will also include “exclusive shows” from popular artists that will “connect listeners with the stories behind the most popular songs in the world.” Apple has lined up an array of artists and producers as well as daily on-air hosts that will keep the music flowing.

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Step aside, unannounced iPhone 12! Even though we haven’t seen you yet, you’re not 2020’s new hotness. What’s hot is this other phone that won’t sell in nearly as high numbers.

Sorry, the Macalope doesn’t make the rules. Or even understand them.

Writing for the Forbes contributor network and home for wayward opinions, Ewan Spence says “Microsoft’s Exciting Surface Duo Will Fight Apple’s Boring iPhone 12.” (Tip o’ the antlers to Sam.)

Has there ever been a future product from Microsoft that didn’t win? How could a foldable Android phone from Redmond be any different?

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