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Other World Computing (OWC®) http://www.macsales.com, a leading zero emissions Mac® and PC technology company, announced today its new Mercury Aura™ Pro 1.8" Solid State Drive (SSD) line as the first and fastest SandForce® processor based SSD available for netbooks, subnotebook, and other computers that utilize an internal 1.8" sized SATA drive. 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 1.8" 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.

Fastest 1.8" Drive Available Plus Up To 16X Higher Capacity
With peak data rates of 275MB/s, the OWC Mercury Aura Pro 1.8" offers netbook, subnotebook, and users of other computers that utilize an internal 1.8" sized SATA drive the fastest internal drive performance available today. Plus, with five models to choose from - 40GB, 60GB, 120GB, 240GB, and 480GB - the OWC Mercury Aura Pro 1.8" provides up to 16X the storage capacity compared to factory installed hard drives.

Five Models Starting At $179.99 MSRP
The new OWC Mercury Aura Pro 1.8" is available immediately in five capacities compatible with netbooks, subnotebooks, and other computers that utilize an internal 1.8" sized SATA drive:

• 40GB Mercury Aura Pro 1.8" with 7% over provisioning & three year warranty - $TBA
• 60GB Mercury Aura Pro 1.8" with 7% over provisioning & three year warranty - $179.99
• 120GB Mercury Aura Pro 1.8" with 7% over provisioning & three year warranty - $279.99
• 240GB Mercury Aura Pro 1.8" with 7% over provisioning & three year warranty - $549.99
• 480GB Mercury Aura Pro 1.8" with 7% over provisioning & three year warranty - $TBA

For more information on the OWC Mercury Aura Pro 1.8" line, including reseller inquires, visit: http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/SSD/OWC/Aura_Pro_1.8. 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 1.8" 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 1.8" provides RAID like data protection and reliability without loss of transfer speed due to parity.

“The Mercury Aura Pro 1.8" SSD line is a performance ‘game-changer’ for netbook and subnotebook users,” said Larry O’Connor, Founder and CEO, Other World Computing. “By offering the fastest drive speeds available with the industry’s first SandForce processor based 1.8" SATA SSD and storage capacity up to 16X higher than factory drives, the Mercury Aura Pro 1.8" SSD line delivers big and measurable gains to these smallest footprint computers.”

OWC Mercury Pro: Most Comprehensive Industry First SSD Line For Macs And PCs
In addition to the Mercury Aura Pro 1.8" line being announced as the first and fastest SandForce processor based 1.8" SATA SSD available for netbooks, subnotebook, and other computers, OWC is also unveiling four other industry first Mercury Pro 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 MBA, the first high performance SandForce processor based SSD available for all 2008-2009 Apple MacBook Air models.
• 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/.