In addition to the new 1TB model, the Mercury Elite-AL Pro mini is available in nine other “Quad Interface” models offering a variety of speed, capacity, and drive type options:
5200/5400RPM
250GB 5400RPM 8MB Cache FW800/400+USB2+eSATA Storage Solution $119.99
320GB 5400RPM 8MB Cache FW800/400+USB2+eSATA Storage Solution $129.99
500GB 5400RPM 8MB Cache FW800/400+USB2+eSATA Storage Solution $154.99
640GB 5400RPM 8MB Cache FW800/400+USB2+eSATA Storage Solution $189.00
1.0TB 5200RPM 8MB Cache FW800/400+USB2+eSATA Storage Solution $299.99
7200RPM
320GB 7200RPM 16MB Cache FW800/400+USB2+eSATA Storage Solution $144.99
500GB 7200RPM 16MB Cache FW800/400+USB2+eSATA Storage Solution $189.99
Solid State Drive featuring the OWC Mercury Extreme Enterprise SSD
50GB SSD FW800/400+USB2+eSATA Storage Solution $299.99
100GB SSD FW800/400+USB2+eSATA Storage Solution $469.99
200GB SSD FW800/400+USB2+eSATA Storage Solution $849.99
All OWC Mercury Elite-AL Pro mini models, including the new 1TB model, are available for immediate ordering from Other World Computing at http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/firewire/EliteALmini/eSATA_FW800_FW400_USB and are compatible with Apple OS 8.6 and later including the latest 10.6 “Snow Leopard”; and Windows 98SE or later operating systems; and come ready for Plug and Play ease of use with all supported interface connecting cables, a $200 retail value disk utility software bundle, and an industry leading three year complete solution warranty.
For more information on the complete OWC Storage Solution line, visit: http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/firewire/
Portable & Bus Powered For Mobile Lifestyles
Measuring a compact 3.8″ W x 5.5″ L x 1.1″ H, the OWC Mercury Elite-AL Pro mini offers storage capacity up to 1TB – enough space for up to 1,000,000 JPEG photos, 500 DVD movies, 76 hours of digital video, or 350,000 MP3 songs – in its fanless, aircraft grade brushed aluminum enclosure. Because it’s bus-powered, the Mercury Elite-AL Pro mini doesn’t require an AC adapter, which makes it ideal for in-the-field business professionals, creative/entertainment professionals, students, and anyone else needing to back up data, transport large files between computers, gain additional storage capacity, and even perform video editing and live music recording.
Built For Performance & Flexibility
Designed to emulate the award winning history of the larger desktop sized Mercury Elite-AL Pro, the new Elite-AL Pro mini portable storage solution features the fastest 2.5″ SATA hard drive mechanisms up to 7200RPM as well as OWC’s Mercury Extreme Enterprise SSD for demanding A/V, digital photography, professional music, graphics, general data, and Time Machine ready storage needs. With two FireWire 800 ports, users can “daisy chain” multiple devices, connect legacy FireWire 400 devices via the included 800 to 400 connecting cable, and can even utilize the fastest data transfer interface, eSATA, while bus powering via FireWire. The Mercury Elite-AL Pro mini can also be used with storage capable digital cameras and camcorders with FireWire and/or USB data ports for fast, on-location backups of images and video.
“We’re very pleased to have our renowned Mercury storage line achieve another industry first,” said Larry O’Connor, CEO, Other World Computing. “With the highest capacity and most interfaces in a portable design, our ‘mini’ delivers massive, professional grade data storage/backup to the modern mobile computing society.”
It’s the fastest and most reliable SSD on the market today and eclipses even the best enterprise class conventional hard drive available.
• Fastest sustained read and write times (over 260MB/s) of any SATA SSD available today.
• DuraClass technology with Ultra-efficient Block Management & Wear Leveling offers highest endurance, performance, and power efficiency in a SATA SSD.
• SandForce™ Processor maximizes read and write performance to greatly extend the endurance and overall reliability of the drive.
• Up to 100X greater data protection than what the highest rated enterprise class conventional hard disk drive (HDD) provides.
• Best in class error correction (ECC) and RAISE™ (Redundant Array of Independent Silicon Elements) technology provides RAID like data protection and reliability without loss of transfer speed due to parity.
• Intelligent “recycling” for advanced free space management
• 8.5x longer use hours than any other name brand SSD
• Highly secure…all data automatically stored in AES-128 encrypted format.
We had some fun taping a “shootout”:
http://eshop.macsales.com/Customized_Pages/Framework.cfm?page=ssd-speed-test-feb-10.html
And some early testers have been having a lot of fun with the SSD as well:
OWC Mercury Extreme RAID-ready Enterprise-class Solid State Drive (SSD)
http://macperformanceguide.com/Reviews-SSD-OWC-Mercury_Extreme.html
Other World Computing (OWC(r)) http://www.macsales.com, a leading zero emissions PC and Mac(r) technology company, announced today that it has been recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Green Power Partnership program for its leadership role in becoming an on-site producer of more than 100% of OWC’s power needs through clean, green wind power. The EPA Green Power Partnership program is a voluntary program that provides recognition to organizations demonstrating environmental leadership by using clean renewable power, either by producing power, as OWC does, or by purchasing green credits.
First 100% On-Site Wind Powered U.S. Technology Manufacturer
OWC became the first 100% on-site wind powered U.S. technology manufacturer on October 19, 2009, when it activated its Vestas V39-500kW wind turbine. The turbine is projected to generate an estimated 1,250,000 kilowatt hours (kWh) per year, nearly double the current energy requirements of all OWC operations, including its internet operations datacenter for OWC.net and FasterMac.net. Excess energy produced by the OWC wind turbine is sold back to the local power provider, thus making OWC a net supplier of sustainable energy to the McHenry County, IL region in addition to being a provider of award winning technology products and services to over one million Mac, PC, and iPod users around the world.
“The EPA commends Other World Computing for their commitment to protecting the environment by using green power,” said Susan Wickwire, Chief of the Energy Supply and Industry Branch at U.S. EPA. “By generating power with an on-site wind turbine, Other World Computing is reducing its greenhouse gas emissions, supporting clean energy technologies, and contributing to a clean energy future.”
Clean, Renewable Wind Power Part of Green Corporate Philosophy
The 100% self-funded on-site wind turbine is one component of the overall green initiatives that OWC employed in designing and building its corporate headquarters. The OWC building and campus, completed in 2008, are in the final approval stages for the highest LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) program rating of Platinum. LEED is a voluntary program developed by the U.S. Green Building Council to provide building owners and operators a concise framework for identifying and implementing practical and measurable green building design, construction, operations, and maintenance solutions.
Good for the Environment & the Bottom Line
The cost to install a wind turbine of OWC’s caliber is typically $1.25 million with a Return On Investment (ROI) of 100% within 10-14 years based upon a 25% front-end investment and current energy costs. The actual ROI recovery period can be reduced significantly as energy costs increase.
“OWC has always planned for the future, and going to 100 percent wind energy delivers both conservational as well as energy cost benefits,” said Larry O’Connor, CEO, Other World Computing. “We’re very pleased that our efforts have been recognized by the EPA as exhibiting environmental leadership,” said O’Connor.
For complete details and a pictorial presentation on OWC’s wind turbine project, as well as a virtual tour of its LEED inspired corporate campus, visit: www.macsales.com/windpower
Kuddos to Other World Computing, OWC, as it has become 100% reliant on the wind to churn out its great accessories for Mac and PCs out there in Woodstock, IL.. That means that OWC now uses complete renewable, non-polluting power to get it through its day. SvenOnTech spoke to Larry O’Connor, CEO, Other World Computing earlier this year about OWCs upcoming conversion to becoming fully green. O’Connor’s excitement was difficult for him to harness as he outlined the building of the current facility and the many avenues and difficulties his company experienced to become green. “I made the decision to 100% self fund this project because of the conservational benefits as well as the future cost of energy,” O’Connor recently told SvenOnTech. “With the kilowatt hour rate in the Chicago market up 24.3% since 1999, it only makes sense to use technology to lower our usage and costs related to traditional power sources.”
Here are some highlights of OWCs gusty power:
* Geo-thermal ground-coupled heat pump system
* Fiber optic rooftop light-harvesting technology
* High insulation value glass windows and exterior sunshade technology for reduced cooling costs
* High insulation value materials throughout the building for reduced energy use
* “Smart” sensors to detect and adjust energy in unused rooms
* Permeable Paver system for environmentally friendly run-off water handling
* Bio Swales landscaping for water conservation
* Use of native plants and prairie grasses for water conservation
* Sloan Waterless Urinals and dual-mode toilets for water conservation
* Sloan high-efficiency hand driers in washrooms for energy/paper savings
* High-efficiency drinking water filtration system to eliminate need for delivered water
* Company-wide recycling with near zero waste generation
* Facilities for employees to commute to work by bicycle
* Low-impact cleaning products
To read more about OWCs green goals as well as view pictures, stop by www.macsales.com/windpower.
If you’re looking for a new external hard drive device to back up your data and or get you some mass density of speed for, say, video editing, then take a look our just posted review off the OWC Mercury Elite-AL Pro Qx2. This beefy unit is impressive and pretty darn sweet. We got raw test figures and some real life examples. The results are impressive and, well, just read the review and see for yourself what we thought in the end.
A Faster Mac In 10 Minutes
The OWC series of free online upgrade installation videos for MacBook and MacBook Pro models are rated from an “Easy” to “Straightforward” level and can be performed at home as quickly as an estimated 10-minute installation time. The complete series of installation videos for MacBook and MacBook Pros, as well as videos for Mac tower, desktop, and iPod battery installs is available at: http://eshop.macsales.com/installvideos/
“One of OWC’s founding principles is to maximize the usefulness of existing resources. Whether a customer has a legacy Mac or the latest machine, these videos are an invaluable resource for getting greater performance from their Mac and/or extending its useful life,” said Larry O’Connor, CEO, OWC. “With the typical service center charging upwards of $80 for an easy memory install, MacBook and MacBook Pro owners can save both time and money by utilizing this free resource.”
Memory Upgrades From $29.79, 7200RPM Hard Drives From $64.99
OWC Memory Upgrade Kits priced starting at $29.79 are available up to 8GB for MacBook and MacBook Pro models and are backed with a Money Back Guarantee and OWC’s Lifetime Advance Replacement Warranty. Additional money savings are also available through OWC’s Rebate program, which provides $5.00 Cash Back per 1GB Apple Factory Standard memory module.
Upgrading the internal hard drive can also make MacBook and MacBook Pro machines faster. Prices start at $64.99 for a 250GB 7200RPM drive, with the most popular upgrades including a 320GB 7200RPM drive priced at $84.99 and a 500GB 7200RPM drive priced at $149.99. In addition, MacBook and MacBook Pro owners that purchase a new hard drive from OWC also enjoy the benefit of keeping their existing drive, which can be used as a temporary backup drive, converted into an external storage solution, or sent to OWC for a cash back trade-in.
For a complete list of upgrades for MacBook and MacBook Pro models, visit:
http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/memory/Apple_MacBook_MacBook_Pro/Upgrade
OWC – The Trusted Name in Mac Memory
OWC memory upgrades are available from 16MB up to 32GB for nearly every current and past Apple notebook and desktop computer manufactured during the past twenty years, including Mac Pro Xeon, iMac, PowerMac, Xserve, iBook, and PowerBook computers. By maintaining an active state-of-the-art test lab, OWC can ensure its memory upgrades offer the highest product quality and reliability and backs them with a Lifetime Advance Replacement Warranty and Money Back Guarantee.
OWC’s independent memory benchmarks testing on a wide variety of Mac computers consistently demonstrates having more memory provides higher real-world performance. OWC memory performance gains are even more apparent when using memory intensive applications, such as audio/video, photo, 3D modeling, gaming and other applications, where OWC memory upgrades offer the best performance for the investment.
The full OWC Memory line, as well as a compatibility guide which directs customers to the correct upgrades for each specific Apple model, can be found online at: http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/apple/memory/
Immediately available and priced starting at $239.99, the new Mercury On-The-Go 320GB 7200RPM drive has models available with USB 2.0, USB 2.0+eSATA, FireWire 400+USB 2.0, and FireWire 800/400+USB 2.0 Interfaces. These portable drive solutions are built with the latest Hitachi 7K320 mechanism with OWC’s custom bridge interfaces and provide the highest performance of any portable storage solution available on the market.
Geared for the demanding “On-the-Go” professional road warrior who requires dependable, high-performance storage, the OWC Mercury On-The-Go 320GB 7200RPM portable drive solution offers options for virtually all computers and gadgets with an available FireWire or USB port, including all Macs and PCs, as well as digital cameras and camcorders for an instant on-the-go portable storage solution to quickly and safely store all your digital photos and video when traveling.
With The Mercury On-The-Go portable drive, you can back-up your entire desktop computer and bring it with you everywhere you go. For easy backup, the drive also includes the full retail versions of the latest award-winning Prosoft DataBackup III for OS X and NovaStor NovaBackup for Windows.
In addition to the 320GB 7200RPM drive, OWC also offers additional 7200RPM models with capacities of 100GB to 200GB, priced from $109.99; and 5400RPM Models from 60GB to 500GB, priced from $74.99. All drive solutions offer leading performance and reliability due to a well thought-out design, performance bridge interface, and the best hard disk drive mechanisms inside.
The Mercury On-The-Go 320GB 7200RPM portable storage drive is available immediately priced starting at $239.99 through OWC and other retailers. It includes a carrying case, connecting cables, Prosoft DataRescue III for OS X, and NovaStor NovaBackup for Windows. All Mercury-On-The-Go models are covered by a one-year warranty and are compatible with Apple OS Versions 8.5 through 9.2.x; Apple OS X (including the latest OS 10.5.x); and Microsoft Windows 98SE, ME, 2000, XP, Vista.
For more information, see: http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/firewire/on-the-go.
OWC has solutions available for nearly every Mac model over the last decade, including Mac Pro; PowerBook G4 Titanium 15”, 12/15/17” Aluminum; iBook G4; PowerMac; PowerMac G3, G4, G5; iMac G4; and eMac.
Whether upgrading from a read-only drive, replacing an older Superdrive, or for additional optical drives, the latest solutions from OWC are quiet, low-cost and Plug & Play ready. OWC makes it easy to upgrade to the new Superdrive models with the latest software, including Apple iLife, Roxio Toast, NTI Dragonburn, and other CD/DVD authoring applications preconfigured directly in the drives. The easy online guide lets you select the right Superdrive model for your Mac system.
Superdrives for desktop and tower model Macs are priced from $31.99 and offer up to 20X DVD, 12X Dual-Layer DVD (8.5GB per disc), and 48X CD burning speeds. DVD-RAM burn capability and LightScribe are also available. Superdrive 8X DVD, 6X DVD Dual-Layer, 24X CDRW, 5X DVD-RAM slot loading drives are now available from $99.95 for Apple iMac G5, iMac Intel, G4 Cube, PowerBook G4, and iBook G4 computers
For more information on the full line of OWC Superdrives for Mac, see: http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/optical-drives/superdrives/
Other World Computing (OWC), a leading Mac and PC technology company, today announced the introduction and immediate availability of its new OWC Mercury Elite-AL Pro FireWire+USB 2.0 Combo storage drives featuring SATA technology with a starting price of only $107.99 and capacities up to 1.0TB for Plug ‘N Play, hot swappable storage.
The latest in the OWC Mercury Elite-AL storage line, the Mercury Elite-AL Pro FireWire+USB 2.0 Combo storage drives feature the latest Oxford 934 performance chipset, the best SATA mechanisms available, two FireWire 400 1394A 6 Pin, and one USB 2.0 port. Drives may be stacked or stood vertically (stand included) and measure only 9.3” (length) x 1.4” (height) x 5.6″ (width) or 237mm x 36mm x 142mm.
The drive’s two FireWire ports allow it to be daisy-chained to any additional FireWire devices. Its Oxford chipset allows Plug ‘N Play compatibility with virtually any Mac, PC, and Linux-based computer that supports either a FireWire or USB 2.0 Interface. Data may be accessed/read/written interchangeably between any of the FireWire and USB 2.0 ports allowing the seamless use of the drives between multiple systems or for upgrading corresponding computer systems.
OWC Mercury Elite-AL Pro FireWire+USB 2.0 Combo Drives Pricing:
80GB 7200RPM 8MB Cache – $107.99
160GB 7200RPM 8MB Cache – $117.99
250GB 7200RPM 8MB Cache – $137.99
320GB 7200RPM 16MB Cache – $147.99
400GB 7200RPM 16MB Cache – $159.99
500GB 7200RPM 16MB Cache – $175.99
750GB 7200RPM 16MB Cache – $239.99
1.0TB 7200RPM 32MB Cache – $369.99 ($339.99 after limited time Rebate*)
*Through 3/19/2008, purchase of the drive includes a $30 Hitachi-sponsored Mail-In Rebate. Rebate details at: http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Other%20World%20Computing/MAU4S7H1TB32/
All OWC Mercury Elite-AL drives are tested and certified for demanding audio/video, backup, movies, graphics, music, photography, data, and more. The drive’s sleek aluminum design optimizes function with fanless heat dissipation while aesthetically enhancing the desktop, and is specifically built to safely endure the rigorous demands of portability.
OWC Mercury Elite-AL Pro storage drive solutions are available from Other World Computing with everything needed for immediate Plug ‘N Play operation: FireWire and USB 2.0 cables; Intech HD Speedtools utility suite; Prosoft Data Backup for Mac OS X®; NovaStor NovaBackup for Windows; and a full 2-year warranty.
OWC’s full line of award winning Mercury Elite-AL storage solutions can be found at http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/firewire/1394/USB/EliteAL .
For additional information contact www.MacSales.com or call toll free (800) 275-4576.
Other World Computing (OWC), a leading Mac and PC technology company, announced today that it is offering 4GB Memory Kits for Apple’s newly announced MacBook and MacBook Pro Core 2 Duo models, which began shipping yesterday, February 26, 2008. OWC is providing memory for these new MacBook 13” 2.1GHz/2.4GHz Core 2 Duo Models and MacBook Pro 15” & 17” 2.4GHz/2.5GHz (including 2.6GHz optional configuration) Core 2 Duo models. OWC memory is available in modules and kits of up to 4.0GB for these models as well as the previous MacBook Pro models.
OWC is an Apple Developer Connection Premiere member and its memory upgrades meet Apple’s electrical and mechanical design requirements. OWC maintains an active state-of-the-art test lab to ensure the highest product quality and reliability and provides a lifetime of high-performance reliable operation backed with a Money Back Guarantee and OWC’s Lifetime Advance Replacement Warranty.
OWC’s 4.0GB Memory Upgrade Kits are available immediately, priced at $95.99 (configured as two 2GB memory modules). Additional savings are also available for customers who take advantage of OWC’s trade-in program, which provides $20 cash back for the trade-in of two 1GB modules.