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Two OWC products win TUAW Best of 2011 voting for Best Mac Peripheral or Accessory
We have another winner! Or should I say we have two winners? Other World Computing, familiar to Mac users worldwide as OWC, has two products that won the coveted title of Best Mac Peripheral or Accessory of the Year in TUAW's Best of 2011 voting. Tied with precisely 24.2 percent of the votes each were the OWC Data Doubler drive brackets and the speedy OWC Mercury 6G Solid State Drives. The Data Doubler drive brackets provide a way to replace an optical drive in a MacBook, Mac mini, or iMac with another hard drive or a solid state drive. OWC is anticipating Apple's trend towards removing optical drives from its computers by making it possible to increase onboard drive capacity or add a speedy solid state drive to an existing machine. Speaking of speedy SSDs, OWC's Mercury 6G solid state drives were the other winner. These quiet, cool, and rugged drives start as low as $119 in price and provide performance that no hard disk drive can match. Our thanks to the TUAW readers who nominated their favorite Mac peripherals and accessories, and then voted in the competition. Congratulations to OWC on being the winner twice-over of this category in the TUAW Best of 2011.
OWC updates its Mercury Extreme Pro 3G SSD lineup, offers 30GBs for just $68
Say hello to Other World Computing's latest 2.5-inch SSD, the 30GB variant of its Mercury Extreme Pro 3G series (3Gb/s, of course). This SandForce-driven SSD may not have loads of storage, but priced at a wallet-friendly 68 bucks, it's certainly tempting if your optical drive's been gathering dust. Whether you're running an ungodly amount of Firefox tabs on a Mac or Windows machine, you'll be covered with "sustained data rates of over 275MB/s," keeping your tasks speedy. Ready to ditch the beach balls and hourglasses? It's available now from OWC and you'll find more info in the PR past the break.
OWC Mercury Electra 6G SSD lineup updated with smaller 60GB option for $130
Looking for a peppy SSD to turbo charge your workflow and don't need a whole lot of storage capacity? Back in June, Other World Computing introduced its speedy SandForce-endowed Mercury Electra 6G SSDs with a base model priced at $230 $200 for 120GB. Now the company's added a cheaper option to keep things fast and your wallet happy. Those wanting a taste of its 556MB/s read and 523MB/s write speeds can now opt for a 60GB variation, priced at just $130. Sure, it may not be ideal for saving your entire Queen back catalog, but it could be a nifty route for faster boot-up and load times, right? It's available now from OWC. Zip past the break for the full PR.
New MacBook Air SSDs are replaceable
No sooner had the new MacBook Air models shown up in Apple Stores than the iFixit team grabbed one for dissection. The site always does a teardown of the latest in Apple technology for the benefit of repair technicians and for hobbyists who love to see what's inside their Macs. The 2011 13" MacBook Air teardown shows how Apple engineers cram so much power in such a tiny computer. One of the nicer things to come out of the teardown was the news that the internal solid-state drive isn't soldered to the logic board, meaning that MBA owners who would like more storage and don't have an issue with invalidating their warranty can open the computer and install a drive with more capacity. While Apple's MacBook Air storage solutions max out at 256 GB, OWC has faster SSDs with capacities up to 480 GB. With more powerful processors (up to a 1.8 GHz Dual-Core Intel Core i7 CPU) and the ability to bump up the SSD capacity, it's a pity that none of the MacBook Air models are able to take more than 4 GB of RAM. It's soldered onto the logic board, which is why iFixit notes that "it might be worth it to buy the nicer model (4 GB) from the get-go."
On re-purposing the increasingly useless eject key
The eject key sits in the upper right corner of most modern Apple keyboards. On my big iMac with its SuperDrive, it occasionally gets pressed when I need to kick out a backup DVD, but the rest of the time it sits alone. It's even worse on a MacBook Air. With no SuperDrive to speak of, the eject key was replaced with a tiny power button and the eject function moved to the F12 key next door. What do you do with a key that has outlived its usefulness? Give it another reason to live! This all got started when one of the employees at Other World Computing, the folks who make all of those fast internal SSDs for MacBook Pros and other devices, had the optical drive on his 2011 MacBook Pro removed and replaced with an OWC Data Doubler + 750 GB hard disk drive. OWC's Erik was already enjoying a speedy 480 GB SSD as his startup drive in the MacBook Pro, but wanted the luxury of more storage. With his eject key now taking up space and not paying the rent, Erik looked around and found a free app called KeyRemap4MacBook. The app remaps most of the non-alphanumeric keys on the Macbook keyboard to a set of different functions. Not only can you assign duplicate keys (Option and Command keys, for example) to perform different functions, but KeyRemap4MacBook makes keys do different things depending on what app you're currently using (note that you can already do this to a point using Keyboard Shortcuts in System Preferences). Erik used the app to remap his eject key to be a forward delete key (Fn + Delete), and noted that if he does happen to have an external optical drive connected to the MBP, KeyRemap4MacBook thoughtfully provides a way to use the eject key as, well, an eject key. One thing that KeyRemap4MacBook doesn't do is use a standard delay when pressed, so there's a companion app called NoEjectDelay by the same developer that clears the eject key delay. The inquiring minds at TUAW want to know what function you'd remap your eject key to perform, or if you'd just turn the eject key into one-half of a pair of cufflinks. Leave us a note in the comments below.
OWC Mercury Electra 6G SSDs boast big speeds, price to match
Other World Computing may specialize in upgrading aging Macs, but you don't have to own one to jam one of its new Mercury Electra 6G SSDs in your computer. The high-end SandForce Driven line of NAND drives range in size from 120GB to a far more impressive 480GB and, with the aide of 6Gb/sec SATA 3.0, can sustain write speeds of 523MB/sec and read speeds of 556MB/sec. Of course, this sort performance doesn't come cheap -- the smallest of the trio will set you back $230, while the massive 480GB model weighs in at a wallet-sapping $930. You can pick them up now from OWC if you've got a serious need for speed, and plenty of disposable income. Check out the PR after the break.
HDD Fan Control software addresses iMac hard drive replacement issue
Yesterday, Other World Computing wrote a post suggesting you could not install third-party hard drives in the new Sandy Bridge iMacs. According to OWC, any change in the hard drive or switching to a hard drive bay would cause the drive fan to spin at maximum speed. Though this problem does exist, it may not be as troublesome as everyone first reported. According to the developer behind HDD Fan Control, this is a problem that has been present in iMac models since late 2009. The dev wrote his HDD Fan control application after he replaced his own hard drive and the fan speed for the drive increased to 6000 rpm. He used the hard drive's S.M.A.R.T. (Self-Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting Technology) interface to control the speed of the fan and bring it down to a normal level. While Apple may not want you to replace the hard drive in your iMac, you may want to try this software option if you decide to crack open that all-in-one and do some hardware hacking. If you test it out, let us know how it works.
OWC: Replacing main hard drive with third-party is not an option in new iMacs
The folks over at Other World Computing, best known for providing affordable upgrades for your Mac, delivered some bad news regarding installing a third-party hard drive in the new Sandy Bridge iMacs. Apparently, Apple altered the SATA power connector in such a way that removing the hard drive from the system -- or even the bay where it resides -- will cause the hard drive fan to spin at maximum speed. Even further, placing any third-party drive in the machine results in the iMac failing the Apple Hardware Test, even if that drive was replaced with the same model that the iMac is shipped with. Apple seems to be specifically disallowing hard drives that it doesn't approve of, locking new iMac owners into AppleCare in case something happens to the hard drive within the first three years or using an Apple-authorized repair center. We've touted the virtues of AppleCare many times. However, a good many tend keep their iMacs much longer than three years, and a hard drive is guaranteed to eventually fail. But since upgrading the current iMacs involves removing the screen, even though iFixIt says it is fairly easy to access the internal drive, I wouldn't want to go near that anyhow, and neither would your average customer. [Via MacStories]
OWC offers 480 GB SSD for 2010 MacBook Air
If you want to give your 2010 MacBook Air a competitive edge with the largest solid state drive available for your notebook, then check out the Mercury Aura Pro Express line from Other World Computing (OWC). The third-party SSD is available in 180, 240, 360 and 480 GB capacities and fits both the 11.6-inch and 13.3-inch Air models that debuted in late 2010. Big and fast, OWC claims the Aura Express SSD delivers a maximum transfer rate of 275 MB/s and offers a 68% boost in performance over factory drives. Performance comes with a cost -- the entry-level 180 GB solid state drive will set you back US$480 while the top of the line 480 GB SSD costs a whopping $1579. This latter price tag surpasses that of some MacBook Air models, which start at $999 for the entry-level 11-inch model and climb up to $1599 for the premium 13-inch model. [Via Macworld]
Ask TUAW Video Edition: Cloning Data
Douglas asks how to upgrade his hard drive and clone his Mac and Bootcamp data to the new one. We discuss new hard drives, enclosures, and cloning processes. Some resources for everyone: Carbon Copy Clone - More Info SuperDuper - More Info WinClone - Download Norton Ghost - More Info OWC - HD/Enclosure Upgrades Any questions, please leave them in the comments or email us! Read on for the video.
OWC introduces 8 GB RAM modules for 2011 MacBooks
If, like many who've just purchased one of the brand new MacBook Pros released last week, you still have US$1,600 rattling around in your change purse, OWC have just the thing for you - a pair of 8 GB SODIMMs. A 16 GB memory upgrade is just what you need to give your shiny new MacBook the oomph it really needs. Even though Apple says the new machines have an 8 GB upper memory limit, OWC says its testing confirms the MacBooks can use 16 GB of RAM. Larry O'Connor, founder and CEO of Other World Computing said, "Our initial confirmed results, using the same 'diglloydMedium' CS5 testing parameters employed by macperformanceguide.com, reveals a nearly 50% performance improvement with 16 GB of RAM installed vs. the factory maximum of 8 GB. This upgrade truly lets owners of the latest MacBook Pro models unleash the power of their machine with performance approaching that only previously available in Apple desktop and tower models." Those with slightly shallower pockets can go for the 12 GB upgrade, a mere $879.99. [via MacStories]
Some 2008 MacBooks, MacBook Pros can accept 8 GB of RAM
Older Core 2 Duo MacBook and MacBook Pros from late 2008 may support 8 GB of RAM, according to hardware parts vendor Other World Computer. Other World Computer discovered that a newer version of the EFI, when combined with an updated Boot ROM, would let the computer use the full 8 GB of RAM without slowdowns or crashes. EFI is the Mac equivalent of the BIOS firmware on IBM PCs. Previous tests by Other World Computer revealed that these older Macs could accept 8 GB of RAM, but would come to screeching halt when an application tried to use the full 8 GB. The optimal RAM was assumed to be 6 GB according to tests by OWC. Despite this presumed limitation, reports circulating on the internet continued to suggest the older MacBook models could effectively use 8 GB of RAM with Snow Leopard. OWC discovered that Apple released a new version of the EFI for these older MacBooks in 2009. This update was designed to reduce the noise from optical drives. OWC noticed that Apple modified the memory addressing in the update and did not notify anyone of these changes. OWC claims the Mac OS X software update does not recognize this latest version as new and does not prompt people to upgrade. Unbeknownst to them, most MacBook users continue to have the old code, which supports 6 GB. After upgrading the EFI manually and installing the updated Boot ROM, OWC was able to efficiently access the full 8 GB of memory. This is good news for folks with an older MacBook as the 2 GB addition may give older models enough of a boost to stay in service for a little longer.
Elgato and OWC hawk upgraded Mac Mini HTPC bundles: Blu-ray burner, 12TB, TV tuner
Simmer down, son -- neither Elgato nor Other World Computing are actually shoving 12TB of hard drive space within a 2010 Mac Mini, but if you order one of their new bundles, you'll definitely end up with as much. OWC is now selling pre-pimped Mac Mini machines, complete with bolstered storage options, an internal Blu-ray burner, Elgato's EyeTV Hybrid tuner (or HD DVR), more RAM than usual and an Apple Remote. The company plans to offer both the 2.4GHz and 2.66GHz Core 2 Duo systems, and it swears up and down that the machine will arrive preconfigured and ready to rock your home theater. The addition of a Mercury Elite-AL Pro Qx2 4-bay storage solution enables you to keep even a vast library of digital content nearby, but there's no telling how much the outfit will charge for such a luxury. Hit the source link if you're scrounging for details, but don't expect pricing or an order button just yet. Update: So, it seems that OWC isn't actually selling new Mac Minis itself, but will upgrade your own if you send it in. We'd like to take this opportunity to now recommend that OWC actually sell upgraded Mac Minis itself.
Hands-on with the OWC Mercury Elite-AL Pro Dual mini SSD
When I think of RAID, I usually envision a large box full of whirring drives installed in a rack, not a quiet little box that I can connect to a MacBook. Thanks to Other World Computing, the way I visualize RAID will have to change. For those of you who might be unfamiliar with the term RAID, it stands for Redundant Array of Inexpensive Drives. In this review, I'll talk about RAID 0, which stores information on two or more drives that are linked together. RAID 0 is usually a much faster storage solution than just a single hard drive. RAID 1, on the other hand, just mirrors data written to one of the drives onto a second drive. It's great for creating a fairly bulletproof storage solution. The Mercury Elite-AL Pro Dual mini (referred to as the Pro Dual mini from here on out) is a new product from OWC that is a fast, redundant quad-interface (USB/FW400/FW800/eSATA) dual SSD array (that's two solid state hard drives networked up together). When the Pro Dual mini is connected to a Mac through FireWire, no external AC adapter is required, making this drive an excellent portable RAID solution. The USB interface requires an optional AC adapter, adding both cost ($10) and weight to the equation. For use with eSATA, either a FW800 to 12-volt power cable (included) or the AC adapter is required to power the drive. Physically, the Pro Dual mini fits two 2.5" SATA SSD drives into a tough 5.6 x 6.1 x 1.1 inch aluminum enclosure. The drives are OWC's Mercury Extreme Pro RE SSDs, which are rated at up to 263.6 MB/sec write speeds and 271.5 MB/sec reads. What would you use a small, fast RAID array for? A/V, digital photography, professional music or graphics are the use cases that come to mind. %Gallery-114554%
OWC aims SandForce-based Mercury Aura Pro SSD at 2008 / 2009 MacBook Air
Own a first generation MacBook Air? If you're perfectly fine with hanging onto it for awhile, Other World Computing is now offering a tempting upgrade in the storage department. The newly announced Mercury Aura Pro is promised to deliver up to 275MB/sec, which equates to right around 3x faster than the factory SSD on 2008 - 2009 MacBook Air models. It's said to be the first SandForce-based SSD available for those machines, with 60GB, 120GB, 240GB and 480GB models available. The foursome is available today for $199.99, $299.99, $579.99 and $TBA. Curious, but true.
MacBook Air SSD upgrades to ship next week from OWC
Other World Computing (OWC) wowed us today by announcing its Mercury Aura Pro Express Solid State Drive (SSD) line, an SSD upgrade option for all 2010 MacBook Airs. They offer greater speed than Apple's factory offerings and much more storage. OWC claims peak data rates of 275 MB/s, making them up to 22 percent faster than what's currently available. There are four models to choose from: the 180 GB model sells for US$499.99, the 240 GB costs $579.99 and the whopping 360 GB model bears an equally staggering price - $1179.99. That's more than a stock 11.6" Air. Each comes with a three year warranty. Pre-orders are being taken now, and OWC hopes to start shipping "...on/around Wednesday, January 12th." You'll remember that Apple recently ended PhotoFast's intention to sell SSD upgrade kits for the MacBook Air, but that could have been due to PhotoFast's affiliation with Apple's MFi Program. If you get one of these kits, please let us know how it goes. Show full PR text 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 Express Solid State Drive (SSD) line is the first high performance SSD available on the market for pre-ordering for all 2010 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 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 Express 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. More Speed, Capacity, and Options Than Factory SSD The OWC Mercury Aura Pro Express offers owners of and those interested in the 2010 MacBook Air models a SSD upgrade path that delivers higher performance, functionality, and reliability. With peak data rates of 275MB/s, the Mercury Aura Pro Express offers 22% higher speed than factory installed SSDs. The OWC Mercury Aura Pro Express is available in three sizes -180GB, 240GB, and 360GB – for more upgrade choices and nearly 3X higher data storage/backup capacity than factory SSD options when compared to 11.1" model factory options up to 128GB and 13" model factory options up to only 256GB. Three Models Starting At $499.99 MSRP The new OWC Mercury Aura Pro Express is available immediately for pre-ordering in three capacities compatible with all 11.1" and 13.3" 2010 MacBook Air models: 180GB Mercury Aura Pro Express with 7% over provisioning & three year warranty - $499.99 240GB Mercury Aura Pro Express with 7% over provisioning & three year warranty - $579.99 360GB Mercury Aura Pro Express with 7% over provisioning & three year warranty - $1179.99 OWC is planning initial retail shipments of Mercury Aura Pro Express orders to begin on/around Wednesday, January 12th. For more information on the OWC Mercury Aura Pro Express line, including reseller inquires, visit: http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/SSD/OWC/Aura_Pro_Express. 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 Express 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 Express provides RAID like data protection and reliability without loss of transfer speed due to parity. "It's very satisfying to continue a storied tradition of being the first manufacturer to offer Mac users an upgrade path to get the most from their machine," said Larry O'Connor, Founder and CEO, Other World Computing. "Now thanks to the Mercury Aura Pro Express SSD, 2010 MacBook Air owners and those interested in buying this machine can upgrade for higher capacity and performance when they need it." OWC Mercury Pro: Most Comprehensive Industry First SSD Line For Macs And PCs In addition to new Mercury Aura Pro Express being announced as the first high performance SSD available on the market for pre-ordering for all 2010 Apple MacBook Air models, OWC is also unveiling four other industry first Mercury Pro SSD model lines at the CES show: • OWC Mercury Aura Pro MBA, the first high performance SandForce processor based SSD available for all 2008-2009 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 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 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 MagazineTop 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 (http://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.
3TB HD, triple SSD iMac turnkey drive upgrades available from OWC
In the never-ending search for bigger and faster storage options, Mac users have a number of sources for hard drives, but OWC has been a favorite for many Apple fans since the late 1980s. Now the company is offering a set of turnkey eSATA add-ons and upgrades for mid-2010 27" iMacs that should make almost any space-challenged Machead happy. The upgrade paths are all outlined on a special configuration web page on OWC's site. It all starts with an internal boot solid-state drive. If you already have the 256GB internal SSD option installed in your iMac, then you're ready to go -- if not, then you move on to the next step, which is to add either an eSATA port or an internal SSD. You then have the option of adding more SSDs (up to a total three 480GB drives) and/or a big 7200 RPM hard drive. Adding the "last" SSD disables your internal SD card reader, but never fear -- OWC throws in a USB card reader to replace it. The capacity of the 7200 RPM hard drive can be up to 3TB, making for a lot of built-in storage. My personal dream configuration, if money was no object (and it is), would be to get a 480GB SSD installed for a boot and applications drive, a second 480GB SSD for mirroring the first drive, and a 3TB drive for all of my data. Then I'd have the eSATA port installed and put my original 2TB internal drive into an OWC eSATA enclosure for doing some backups. Throw in a 16GB RAM upgrade, an external Blu-Ray read/write drive, and a three-year extended warranty, and the cost would be right around $3,000. It is great to see these kinds of storage options available for iMacs, and tremendous fun to price out the different configurations. If money was no object, what would you have OWC install in your 27" iMac? [via Electronista]
MacBook makeovers bring new life to a couple of old laptops
Last weekend provided not one, but two opportunities for me to do some upgrades to some "old" MacBooks to bring 'em up to workable condition. To start with, one client of mine wanted to get rid of an unused MacBook, so I decided to purchase it from her as a machine for training. The other client had one of the original 15" Intel Core Duo MacBook Pros and doesn't want to spend the money on a new machine. In both cases, the machines were running older versions of Mac OS X, had insufficient RAM, and had hard drives that were both slow and small. The following post is a textbook example of how you can bring new life to slightly old Macs by just spending enough money to upgrade the memory, OS, and hard disk drive. For the MacBook, I decided that I wanted to max out its RAM, add more hard drive space, and speed up the hard drive while I was at it. I wanted to set up the machine with Mac OS X 10.6 and a Boot Camp partition running Windows 7, with an alternative external boot drive containing Mac OS X Server 10.6. The machine's initial setup: 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo (Penryn) CPU, 2 GB of RAM, and a 160GB 5400 RPM SATA hard disk. I chose to max out the RAM to a total of 6GB, purchase a 500GB 7200 RPM drive for the internal drive, and procure a USB 2.0 bus-powered external shell for the existing drive. This MacBook was also running Mac OS X 10.5.8, and I wanted to update it to the latest version of Snow Leopard. Click "Read More" to find out how the upgrades went.
OWC will cut a hole in your new 27-inch iMac, put an eSATA port behind it
Say what you like about Apple, as a company it's not exactly on the forefront when it comes to offering standard connectors for peripherals. Case in point: the latest iMac revisions lack eSATA, something of a bother for companies that make external storage devices. Companies like OWC. So, that particular organization is introducing a service to add that to 27-inch iMacs, cutting a small hole into the bottom-right of the display and sticking an eSATA port behind it. It's a nice idea, the results look flush enough, and 48-hour turn-around time is great -- but $169 is hardly small change. You can, however, take that time to get a 480GB Mercury Extreme Pro SSD stuffed in there as well for a mere $1,649 more.
OWC debuts uber-capacious 480GB 2.5-inch Mercury Extreme Pro SSD
Mmm, now we're talking. For years now, 2.5-inch SSDs have largely been too tiny (in terms of storage space) and too pricey to take seriously -- at least, for everyone except those willing to pay substantially more to ride the cutting edge. But Other World Computing just threw a monkey wrench into the norm, dishing out an incredibly roomy 480GB Mercury Extreme Pro solid state drive meant to supplant your aging laptop HDD. It's one of four in the range (60GB, 120GB and 240GB models are also available), all of which are pegged to deliver up to 285MB/sec sustained data rates with "no speed degradation." All four sizes are up for pre-order now for both PC and Mac platforms, with prices set at $219.99 (60GB), $379.99 (120GB), $699.99 (240GB) and $1,579.99 (480GB). What, you expected 480 gigabytes of sweet, succulent flash memory to come cheap? Puh-lease.
