FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

OWC Announces Mercury Elite-AL Pro mini As Industry's First 2.5" 1.5TB "Quad Interface" FireWire/USB Bus Powered Portable Storage Solution

12 models starting at $99.97 offer FireWire 800/400, USB 2.0, eSATA interface for up to 300MB/s high performance Plug & Play fanless storage with no AC adapter needed

January 4, 2011 Woodstock, IL -- Other World Computing (OWC®) http://www.macsales.com, a leading zero emissions Mac® and PC technology company, announced today that its OWC Mercury Elite-AL Pro mini™ 1.5TB model is the highest capacity 2.5" “Quad Interface” bus powered portable storage solution on the market and available for immediate ordering with 12 models priced from $99.97. Featuring a “Quad Interface” of FireWire® 800/400, USB 2.0, and eSATA interface connectivity for data transfer speeds up to 300MB/s, the fanless Mercury Elite-AL Pro mini delivers the highest storage/backup performance available to Mac or PC users in a portable, brushed aluminum, no AC adapter required Plug and Play footprint.

In addition to the new 1.5TB model which offers 500GB more capacity than other competing brand portable drives, the Mercury Elite-AL Pro mini is available in eleven other “Quad Interface” models offering a variety of speed, capacity, and drive type options:

5400RPM
250GB 5400RPM 8MB Cache FW800/400+USB2+eSATA Storage Solution $99.97
320GB 5400RPM 8MB Cache FW800/400+USB2+eSATA Storage Solution $109.99
500GB 5400RPM 8MB Cache FW800/400+USB2+eSATA Storage Solution $119.99
640GB 5400RPM 8MB Cache FW800/400+USB2+eSATA Storage Solution $144.00
1.0TB 5400RPM 8MB Cache FW800/400+USB2+eSATA Storage Solution $179.99
NEW 1.5TB 5400RPM 8MB Cache FW800/400+USB2+eSATA Storage Solution $279.99

7200RPM
320GB 7200RPM 16MB Cache FW800/400+USB2+eSATA Storage Solution $109.99
500GB 7200RPM 16MB Cache FW800/400+USB2+eSATA Storage Solution $134.99
750GB 7200RPM 16MB Cache FW800/400+USB2+eSATA Storage Solution $179.99

Solid State Drive featuring the OWC Mercury Extreme Pro SSD
60GB SSD FW800/400+USB2+eSATA Storage Solution $219.99
120GB SSD FW800/400+USB2+eSATA Storage Solution $329.99
240GB SSD FW800/400+USB2+eSATA Storage Solution $599.99

All OWC Mercury Elite-AL Pro mini models, including the new 1.5TB model, are available for immediate ordering from Other World Computing at http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/firewire/EliteALmini/eSATA_FW800_FW400_USB and are compatible with Apple OS 8.6 and later, including all versions of Apple OS X, and Windows 98SE or later operating systems. Solutions come ready for Plug and Play ease of use with all interface connecting cables, an over $100 retail value disk utility software bundle (http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/solutions/software_bundle/), and a three year complete solution warranty.

For more information on the complete OWC Storage Solution line, visit: http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/firewire/

Portable & Bus Powered For Mobile Lifestyles
Measuring a compact 3.8" W x 5.5" L x 1.1" H, the OWC Mercury Elite-AL Pro mini offers storage capacity up to 1.5TB – enough space for up to 1.5 million JPEG photos, 750 DVD movies, 115 hours of digital video, or 526,000 MP3 songs – in its fanless, aircraft grade brushed aluminum enclosure. Because it’s bus-powered, the Mercury Elite-AL Pro mini doesn’t require an AC adapter, which makes it ideal for in-the-field business professionals, creative/entertainment professionals, students, and anyone else needing to back up data, transport large files between computers, gain additional storage capacity, and even perform video editing and live music recording.

Built For Performance & Flexibility
Designed to emulate the award winning history of the larger desktop sized Mercury Elite-AL Pro, the Elite-AL Pro mini portable storage solution line features the fastest 2.5" SATA hard drive mechanisms up to 7200RPM as well as OWC’s Mercury Extreme Pro SSD for demanding A/V, digital photography, professional music, graphics, general data, and Time Machine ready storage needs. With two FireWire 800 ports, users can “daisy chain” multiple devices, connect legacy FireWire 400 devices via an 800 to 400 connecting cable, and can even utilize the fastest data transfer interface, eSATA, while bus powering via FireWire. The Mercury Elite-AL Pro mini can also be used with storage capable digital cameras and camcorders with FireWire and/or USB data ports for fast, on-location backups of images and video.

“With 500GB more capacity than other similar portable brand storage solutions, the 1.5TB Mercury Elite-AL Pro mini should be at the top of anyone’s list seeking the highest capacity and performance in a highly mobile design,” said Larry O’Connor, Founder and CEO, Other World Computing.“Besides the industry’s largest capacity, the 12 different Mercury Elite-AL Pro mini models also offer choices of speed and drive type to meet any particular need and/or budget.”

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, and iPhone 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 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.

Photo: Mercury Elite-AL Pro mini

Company Contact:
Jennifer Myers: (815) 502-5640 or jmyers@owcdigital.com