OWC Announces Mercury Aura Pro MBA As Industry's First SandForce Processor Based Solid State Drive For 2008-2009 MacBook Air Models

High performance 1.8" SATA SSD delivers up to 275MB/s data rates for up to 41X faster performance than original factory hard drive, over 3X faster performance than factory SSD, and up to 20% faster speed than 2010 MacBook Air factory SSD

Four models - 60GB, 120GB, 240GB, and 480GB - offer up to 4X higher capacity than optional factory SSD

January 5, 2011, Las Vegas, NV -- Other World Computing (OWC®) http://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 as the first high performance SandForce® processor based SSD available for all 2008-2009 Apple MacBook Air models. This announcement establishes OWC as the most comprehensive U.S. manufacturer of industry leading SandForce processor based SSDs available today with OWC Mercury 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 in booth #3935, LVCC North Hall, at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), which begins tomorrow in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Go Faster, Store More Data Than New MacBook Air Models

With peak data rates of 275MB/s, the OWC Mercury Aura Pro MBA offers owners of 2008-2009 MacBook Air models up to 41X faster performance than the factory original hard drive, over 3X faster performance than the factory installed 128GB SSD, and 20% faster speed 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.

Four Models Starting At $199.99 MSRP

The new OWC Mercury Aura Pro MBA is available immediately in four capacities 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:
http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/SSD/OWC/Aura_Pro_MBA.

For more information on the complete OWC Mercury Pro SSD line, visit:
http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/SSD/OWC/

Doesn't Slow Down With Use Like Ordinary SSDs

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

Up To 100X Greater Data Protection

Utilizing SandForce DuraClass™ technology, the OWC Mercury Aura Pro MBA is able to provide up to 100X higher data protection than provided by ordinary SSDs as well as 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 loss of transfer speed due to parity.

Videos Prove The OWC SSD Performance Difference

Based on the popularity of its original Mercury Extreme SSD "shootout" video series, OWC created new videos to demonstrate how much faster a 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: http://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, Other World Computing. "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."

OWC Mercury Pro: Most Comprehensive Industry First SSD Line For Macs And PCs

In addition to the Mercury Aura Pro MBA line being announced as the first SandForce processor based SSD available for all 2008-2009 MacBook Air computers, OWC is also unveiling four other industry first Mercury SSD model lines at the CES show:

• OWC Mercury Aura Pro Express, the first SSD available for ordering 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 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.
• 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.

For more information on the complete OWC Mercury Pro SSD line, visit:
http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/SSD/OWC/ .

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 http://www.macsales.com. As an Apple Certified Developer, OWC also provides extensive US based technical support for Macintosh users around the world as well as Internet access via http://www.fastermac.net and http://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 MagazineTop Green-IT Companies for 2008; and McHenry County Economic Development Corporation 2008 Business Champion Award.