Mercury EXTREME Pro 3G Photo: http://eshop.macsales.com/NewsRoom/images/PR_extremessd_30GB.jpg

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

OWC Announces Mercury EXTREME Pro 3G As Lowest Cost Of Entry In Award-Winning, Solid-State Drive Line

$67.99 MSRP SSD Ideal for ‘Supercharging’ Macs and PCs with Faster App and OS Operation

September 27, 2011 Woodstock, IL -- Other World Computing (OWC®) http://www.macsales.com, a leading zero emissions Mac® and PC technology company, announced today the addition of its lowest-cost- of-entry Solid-State Drive to its award-winning SSD line.  The new OWC Mercury EXTREME™ Pro 3G SSD combines award-winning SandForce® technologies and Tier 1/Grade A NAND to deliver data rates over 275MB/s in a noiseless, more reliable form factor over conventional magnetic hard disk drives. Designed and manufactured in the U.S. with imported parts, the new OWC Mercury EXTREME Pro 3G 30GB SSD’s $67.99 MSRP makes it one of the lowest-priced, high-performance SSDs on the market.

Maximizes Any Computer's 3G Data Bus
Consumers using a Mac or PC equipped with the Serial ATA data bus will find the OWC Mercury EXTREME Pro 3G 30GB is able to deliver near bus saturating speed. Independent tests have confirmed the OWC Mercury EXTREME 3G SSDs deliver sustained data rates over 275MB/s and provide significant benefits in overall system responsiveness and sustained workflow.

No Slow Down With Repeated Use
While ordinary SSDs initially offer fast read/write performance; they experience significant write speed degradation over repeated usage. Independent simulation tests conducted by leading drive performance experts like MacPerformanceGuide confirm OWC Mercury 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 without dependency on less-than-effective OS TRIM management.

Up To 100x Greater Data Protection
By utilizing SandForce DuraClass™ technology along with no moving parts, the OWC Mercury EXTREME Pro 3G provides an increase of up to 100x in data protection, compared to ordinary SSDs and 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 percent over provisioning, the OWC Mercury EXTREME Pro 3G provides RAID-like data protection and reliability without loss of transfer speed due to parity.

Risk-Free 30-Day Satisfaction Guarantee
To ensure the highest level of customer satisfaction and confidence, the OWC Mercury EXTREME Pro 3G SSD comes backed by a 30-Day Money Back Guarantee. If consumers are not completely satisfied with their OWC SSD for any reason, they simply need to contact OWC’s award-winning Customer Service department – which offers 24/7 Live Chat support - to request a full, hassle-free refund.

"While small in capacity, this new 30GB model offers a huge performance boost in application and OS operation," said Larry O'Connor, Founder and CEO, Other World Computing. "At its price point, you can't beat its use as a boot and app load drive while offloading storage and backup duties to platter based drives."

Includes Only Mac-Friendly Updater
While the OWC Mercury EXTREME 3G 30GB SSD comes with the latest SandForce firmware revision, it also includes the industry’s first and only Apple/Mac-compatible firmware updater should the firmware need to be updated in the future. The firmware updater eliminates the need for a PC, ownership of Windows or other operating system, or the creation of a specially designated drive partition that other brand SSD updaters have required. For more information on OWC's proprietary firmware updater, visit:
http://eshop.macsales.com/tech_center/OWC/SSD

Adapters From $3 Offer Easy Install In 3.5" Drive Bays
Desktop users wanting to experience the performance benefits of an OWC Mercury SSD can choose from one of five adapters OWC offers starting at $3 for utilizing 2.5" drives in 3.5" bays. For an overview of these to determine which adapter can meet particular needs, visit http://blog.macsales.com/11999-drive-adapters-galore—which-is-the-right-one-2

Pricing, Availability
Compatible with Macs, PCs and external enclosures that utilize 2.5" drives, the OWC Mercury EXTREME 3G 30GB SSD is available now from Other World Computing as well as through select retailers. The $67.99 MSRP drive features 7% over provisioning, Tier 1/Grade A NAND, and a three-year warranty. For more information on the OWC Mercury EXTREME 3G 30GB SSD, including reseller inquires, visit: http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Other%20World%20Computing/SSDMX030/

Industry's Most Comprehensive SSD Line for Macs and PCs
The new OWC Mercury EXTREME 3G 30GB model joins OWC's existing line of performance-leading, world record-breaking '3G' (3Gb/s) and '6G' (6Gb/s) Mercury SSDs available for nearly every Mac and PC produced over the past decade in capacities from 30GB to 480GB starting from $67.99. For more information on the complete OWC Mercury SSD line, including expert benchmark reviews, visit: http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/SSD/OWC/. 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®, iPhone®, and iPad® 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 and 2011 "Fast 50" List of 50 Fastest Growing Companies in the Chicago Area; Inc. 5,000 "Fastest Growing Privately Owned Companies in America" list honoree 2007-2011; Reseller Ratings Elite Member 2009-2011; Better Business Bureau Top Rating of A+ 2010-2011; Reflex Packaging Commitment to Excellence Recycling Award 2009; Computerworld Magazine Top Green-IT Companies for 2008; and McHenry County Economic Development Corporation 2008 Business Champion Award.
Company Contact:
Bill Herring
512-412-4009
bherring@macsales.com
Agency Contact:
Andy Marken
408-986-0100
andy@markencom.com
OWC is a registered trademark; and OWC Mercury SSD is a trademark of New Concepts Development Corporation.
SandForce is a registered trademark and SandForce Driven is a trademark of SandForce, Inc.
Apple, Mac, iPod, iPhone, and iPad are the trademarks of Apple, Inc. All other trademarks or registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.