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TidBITS#1346/14-Nov-2016

macOS 10.12 Sierra’s Optimized Storage offers a lot of ways to save drive space, but it seems that some of them can turn on without your consent. If that happens to you, Adam Engst explains how to turn them off again. Many creative professionals are perturbed by Apple’s lack of attention to the desktop Mac line, so Julio Ojeda-Zapata takes a look at Microsoft’s new touch-enabled Surface Studio desktop PC to see if the competition might inspire Apple’s hardware designers. If Apple wants to get into the content business, it needs content, so Josh Centers offers four reasons why buying Time Warner would be a straightforward solution to Apple’s needs. Finally, Josh kicks off a new series about HomeKit with an overview of how Apple’s home automation system works. Notable software releases this week include Quicken 2017 for Mac 4.3, Airfoil 5.5.1, Capto 1.2.1, Mellel 3.5.2, BusyCal 3.1.2 and BusyContacts 1.1.4, and DEVONthink/DEVONnote 2.9.7.

Adam Engst 25 comments

How to Turn Off Sierra’s Optimized Storage

Sierra’s Optimized Storage can free up significant amounts of space on a drive that’s bursting at the seams, but if you aren’t comfortable with the possibility of your data living only in the cloud, you can turn off each of Optimized Storage’s options. Since Optimized Storage can reportedly turn itself on after a macOS update, it’s well worth knowing how to flip those switches back off.