OWC Announces Industry's First SandForce Processor Solid State Drive (SSD) for MacBook Air

Mercury Aura Pro MBA Delivers up to 275MB/s data rates for up to 41X Faster Performance than Factory Hard Drive, over 3X Faster Performance than Factory SSD, and up to 20% Faster Speed than 2010 MacBook Air Factory SSD



January 5, 2011, Las Vegas, NV -- Other World Computing (OWC®) www.macsales.com, a leading zero emissions Mac® and PC technology company, announced today its new Mercury Aura™ Pro MBA Solid State Drive (SSD) line, the first high performance SandForce® processor based SSD available for all 2008-2009 Apple MacBook Air models. Announced today at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, this new product introduction establishes OWC as the most comprehensive U.S. manufacturer of industry leading SandForce processor based SSDs, with OWC Mercury Pro brand SSD models available for nearly every Mac and PC produced over the past decade. OWC will be demonstrating the new Mercury Aura Pro MBA and other first-to-market OWC Mercury Pro SSDs at CES Booth #3935, LVCC, North Hall.



Available In Four Models: 60GB, 120GB, 240GB, and 480GB with 4X Higher Capacity than Factory SSD



With data rates of up to 275MB/s, the OWC Mercury Aura Pro MBA offers owners of 2008-2009 MacBook Air models up to 41X faster performance than the original factory hard drive, over 3X faster performance than the factory installed SSD, and 20% faster than even the latest 2010 MacBook Air models. Plus, with four models to choose from: 60GB, 120GB, 240GB, and 480GB, the OWC Mercury Aura Pro MBA provides up to 4X the storage capacity compared to the factory optional 128GB SSD and nearly 2X more storage capacity than the largest SSD offered in 2010 MacBook Air models.



OWC Ultra-Efficient “Block Management & Wear Leveling” Technologies Keep Drives Fast –

Won’t Slow Down With Use Like Ordinary SSDs



Ordinary SSDs offer fast read/write performance during initial use, but then experience significant write speed degradation over repeated usage. Independent simulation tests by leading drive performance experts (see: macperformanceguide.com/SSD-RealWorld.html) confirm that OWC Mercury Pro brand SSDs ultra-efficient “Block Management & Wear Leveling” technologies eliminate virtually any reduction in data transfer speeds over heavy long term usage, without the dependency on less effective OS TRIM management.



Higher RAID-Like Data Protection - Up To 100X



The OWC Mercury Aura Pro MBA also utilizes SandForce DuraClass™ technology, which provides up to 100X higher data protection than ordinary SSDs and leading enterprise class hard disk drives. By combining the highest level of Error Correction Code (ECC) and SandForce RAISE™ (Redundant Array of Independent Silicon Elements) technology along with 7% over provisioning, the Mercury Aura Pro MBA provides RAID-like data protection and reliability without the loss of transfer speed due to parity.



Shootout Proves it: OWC Offers “Better than New” Performance



Based on OWC’s popular Mercury Extreme SSD “shootout” video series, OWC has created new videos demonstrating how much faster an OWC Mercury Aura Pro MBA equipped 2008-2009 MacBook Air 1.83GHz model is versus much faster processor based machines, including a 2010 MacBook Pro i7. To view the side-by-side comparison videos, visit: eshop.macsales.com/shop/internal_storage/Aura_SSD.



“One of OWC’s core missions is to help consumers maximize their technology investment,” said Larry O’Connor, Founder and CEO, OWC. “By offering faster performance and higher capacity than provided by 2010 models, the Mercury Aura Pro MBA SSD enables 2008-2009 MacBook Air owners to experience better than new performance at a significantly lower cost than a new machine.”



Four Models Starting At $199.99



The new OWC Mercury Aura Pro MBA is available immediately in four models compatible with all 13.3" 2008-2009 MacBook Air models:

· 60GB Mercury Aura Pro MBA with 7% over provisioning & three year warranty - $199.99

· 120GB Mercury Aura Pro MBA with 7% over provisioning & three year warranty - $299.99

· 240GB Mercury Aura Pro MBA with 7% over provisioning & three year warranty - $579.99

· 480GB Mercury Aura Pro MBA with 7% over provisioning & three year warranty - $TBA



For more information on the OWC Mercury Aura Pro MBA line, including reseller inquires, visit: eshop.macsales.com/shop/SSD/OWC/Aura_Pro_MBA. For more information on the complete OWC Mercury Pro SSD line, visit: eshop.macsales.com/shop/SSD/OWC/



OWC Mercury Pro at CES: Unveiling More Industry-First SSD Model Lines for Most Comprehensive SSD Line For Macs And PCs



In addition to the Mercury Aura Pro MBA line of first SSDs available on the market for 2008-2009 MacBook Air computers, OWC is also unveiling other industry-first Mercury Pro SSD model lines at the CES show:

• OWC Mercury Aura Pro Express - the first SSD available for all 2010 Apple MacBook Air models.

• OWC Mercury Aura Pro 1.8" - the first and fastest SandForce processor based SSD available for netbooks, subnotebook, and other computers that utilize an internal 1.8" sized SATA drive.

• OWC Mercury Extreme™ Pro Legacy Edition - the first and fastest SandForce® processor based IDE/ATA SSD available for pre-Intel® PowerPC® based Macs, PCs, and other desktop/tower computers.

• OWC Mercury Legacy™ Pro - the first and fastest SandForce processor based IDE/ATA SSD available for pre-Intel PowerPC based Mac notebooks, PCs, and other notebook/laptop computers.



About Other World Computing (OWC)



Other World Computing (OWC) has been providing quality hardware products and support to the computer industry since 1988 and features one of the largest online catalogs of computer, iPod®, iPhone®, and iPad™ enhancement products through its e-commerce portal www.macsales.com. As a member of the Apple Developer Program, OWC also provides extensive US based technical support for Macintosh users around the world as well as Internet access via www.fastermac.net and www.owc.net

OWC’s industry awards and recognition include: Crain’s Chicago Business 2009 “Fast 50” List of 50 Fastest Growing Companies in the Chicago Area; Inc. 5,000 “Fastest Growing Privately Owned Companies in America” list honoree 2007-2010; Reseller Ratings Elite Member 2009 & 2010; Better Business Bureau Top Rating of A+ 2010; Reflex Packaging Commitment to Excellence Recycling Award 2009; Computerworld Magazine Top Green-IT Companies for 2008; and McHenry County Economic Development Corporation 2008 Business Champion Award.

In March 2010, OWC’s corporate campus was designated as LEED Platinum by the Green Building Certification Institute (eshop.macsales.com/green/index.html). Platinum is the highest achievable LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Program level, which began in 1998. Out of more than 14,000 LEED projects engaged worldwide since the program's inception, OWC is one of less than three hundred to achieve the Platinum standard. In September 2010, OWC’s headquarters earned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ENERGY STAR rating for building operations that perform in the top 25 percent of similar facilities nationwide for energy efficiency.