OWC Aura Pro Express SSD Wins "Best of Show" at Macworld 2011

Feb. 1, 2011 - PRLog -- Other World Computing (OWC(r)) http://www.macsales.com, a leading zero emissions Mac(r) and PC technology company, announced today that it received two major awards at Macworld Expo 2011, the annual Macintosh(r) exposition and conference that concluded this past weekend in San Francisco. Out of a field of more than 230 exhibitors and thousands of exhibited products, the OWC Mercury Aura(tm) Pro Express SSD was named one of 10 Macworld Expo 2011 "Best of Show" products by Macworld Magazine as well as earning "Best Mac Hardware" honors by MacLife Magazine.

Bests Thousands of Products To Win Macworld "Best of Show"
Macworld Senior Editor Roman Loyola called the OWC Mercury Aura Pro Express SSD a "very attractive option" for the new MacBook Air and praised OWC's free online installation guides as "very helpful" at the presentation ceremony held Jan. 28 on the Macworld Live stage. OWC Marketing & PR Manager Grant Dahlke demonstrated the OWC Mercury Aura Pro SSD to the live ceremony audience with a side-by-side real world comparison of booting the OS and loading multiple applications. "This is the future of storage," said Dahlke.

Named "Best Mac Hardware" by MacLife Magazine
The Mercury Aura Pro Express was also awarded the 2011 Macworld Expo "Best Mac Hardware" award by MacLife, a top-rated Apple(r) products print and online news site. MacLife Reviews Editor Ray Aguilera described the Mercury Aura Pro Express as " ... an SSD upgrade kit for your MacBook Air with 180GB to 360GB of ultra fast SSD love."

In addition to the Mercury Aura Pro Express, the OWC Aura Pro line includes the OWC Mercury Aura Pro MBA for MacBook Air 2008/2009 models and the OWC Mercury Aura Pro 1.8", the first and fastest SandForce(r) processor based SSD available for netbooks, subnotebook, and other computers that utilize an internal 1.8" sized SATA drive.

"It is gratifying to receive recognition for the Mercury Aura Pro Express SSD from the two biggest Mac oriented media titles," said Larry O'Connor, Founder and CEO, Other World Computing. "We strive everyday at OWC to develop cutting edge products our customers can install themselves to get the highest level of performance and reliability from their technology investment."

More Speed, Capacity, and Options Than Factory SSD
The introduction of the OWC Mercury Aura Pro line of SSDs at the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show established OWC as the most comprehensive U.S. manufacturer of industry leading SandForce processor based SSDs available today. With peak data rates of 275MB/s and capacities up to 360GB, the Mercury Aura Pro Express offers up to 22% higher speed and up to 3X higher capacity than factory installed SSDs.

OWC SSDs Offered For Most Macs Over Last Decade
In addition to the Mercury Aura Pro SSD line, OWC Mercury Pro SSDs are available for nearly every Mac made over the last decade:
• OWC Mercury Legacy(tm) Pro, the first and fastest SandForce processor based IDE/ATA SSD available for pre-Intel(r) PowerPC(r) based Mac notebooks, PCs, and other notebook/laptop computers.
• OWC Mercury Extreme(tm) 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.
• OWC Mercury Extreme Pro SSD
Ultra high performance 2.5" SATA SSD for demanding portable and desktop tower use.
• OWC Mercury Extreme Pro RE SSD
"RE" RAID-Ready Enhanced performance with 28% over-provisioning for data centers, network operation centers, and dedicated RAID installations.

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(tm) technology, the OWC Mercury Pro SSD line 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(tm) (Redundant Array of Independent Silicon Elements) technology along with 7% over provisioning, the Mercury Pro SSD provides RAID like data protection and reliability without loss of transfer speed due to parity.

For more information on the OWC catalog of over 2,900 performance upgrades and accessories, or for reseller inquires, visit: http://eshop.macsales.com/.

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(r), iPhone(r), and iPad(r) enhancement products through its e-commerce portal www.macsales.com. As a member of the Apple Developer Program, 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(r) 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(r) rating for building operations that perform in the top 25 percent of similar facilities nationwide for energy efficiency.