Press

Other World Computing (OWC®) http://www.macsales.com, a leading zero emissions Mac® and PC technology company, announced today its OWC Aura® Pro, the industry's only high-performance Solid State Drive upgrade for all 13" and 15" MacBook® Pro with Retina display (rMBP) computers, is now available in a 240GB capacity that offers up to 2x more capacity than the factory base SSD found in the 13" rMBP model.

A Better Upgrade Value Than Factory Option
The 13" rMBP comes standard with a 128GB SSD and it costs $300 to upgrade at the factory to a 256GB SSD. However, when upgrading directly with the factory, consumers have paid for that base 128GB module, but do not get that original base flash module returned to them for re-use.

The OWC Aura Pro SSD and Envoy Pro enclosure bundle comes complete with installation tools, installation video, and offers comparable cost and capacity — $319.99 and 240GB (256GB SSD before 7% over-provisioning) — to the factory 256GB upgrade option, but with the added value of being able to use the factory base SSD module as an external storage device via the Envoy Pro.

Complements Apple's Best Designs
The OWC Envoy Pro combines elegance and functionality into a sleek, yet rugged portable storage solution that complements the design and finish of the rMBP. It's so impressive in form and function that it inspired Jim Tanous of The Mac Observer to proclaim it "absolutely beautiful and on par with the best that has come out of Jony Ive's (SVP of Industrial Design at Apple) labs." While the aluminum body is protecting the drive's data, the Envoy Pro's minimal size allows for simple stowing in coat pockets, backpacks or briefcases. A USB 3.0/2.0 interface offers speedy transfer rates of up to 500MB/s and because the Envoy Pro is bus-powered, it doesn't require the "leash" of an AC power adapter.

Joins Existing 480GB Model Offering Huge Savings
The new 240GB Aura Pro SSD joins the previously announced 480GB (512GB before 7% over-provisioning) Aura Pro offered at $579.99, or as a bundle with Envoy Pro for $629.99. The 480GB Aura Pro offers a $220 savings over the comparable sized 512GB factory capacity upgrade costing $800 in the base 13" rMBP. For more information on the Mercury Aura Pro for 2012 MacBook Pro with Retina display, visit: http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/SSD/OWC/Aura_Pro_Retina_2012/

Expert Tested and Reviewed
Several leading technology sites have noted the Aura Pro's performance advantage compared to the Apple factory SSDs. Electronista.com pointed out "new and improved" Apple SSDs reach read speeds of 461MB per second and write speeds of 364MB per second, while the Aura Pro is rated at up to 500MB/s. Expert SSD industry source TheSSDReview.com found LSI SandForce Driven™ based SSDs offer "excellent performance" over 500MB/s and that these SSDs "excel in highly compressible data testing which is the bread and butter of typical consumer use." The Mac Observer performed extensive benchmark testing and declared "The Aura Pro SSD outperforms the Apple SSD in nearly every way. For rMBP owners (or soon-to-be-owners) who ordered a model with the stock SSD, the upgrade to the Aura Pro is a no brainer if you need more capacity, speed, or both."

"We're very excited to expand our capacity and performance increasing SSD internal upgrades for these leading-edge Apple machines," said Larry O'Connor, Founder and CEO, Other World Computing. "It's a total package solution that delivers the exceptionally high value benefit of continued use of the factory SSD via a beautiful, compact, and rugged high-performance portable storage solution."