FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Mercury Aura Pro Express/Aura Envoy Bundle Photo: http://eshop.macsales.com/NewsRoom/images/PR_MBA_EnvoyAura.jpg

OWC Announces Mercury Aura Pro Express/Aura Envoy as Industry's First
High-Performance SSD and Enclosure Bundle For MacBook Air Computers

'Dream Team' Upgrade Features Bus-Powered Enclosure to Re-Task Factory SSD as External Drive
After Upgrading to Higher Capacity, Higher-Performance Mercury Aura Pro Express SSD

June 28, 2012, Woodstock, IL - Other World Computing (OWC®) http://www.macsales.com, a leading zero emissions Mac® and PC technology company, announced today the OWC Mercury Aura® Pro Express/Mercury Aura Envoy™ as the industry's first high-performance Solid State Drive upgrade and bus-powered enclosure bundle for 2010-2011 MacBook® Air computers. Representing a 'Dream Team' of performance and convenience, the Mercury Aura Bundle includes a Mercury Aura Pro Express SSD that offers nearly 8x the factory maximum storage capacity along with extreme data rate speeds up to or exceeding 500MB/s - representing up to 68 percent faster real-world speed than the factory Flash SSD. After installing the Aura Pro Express in the MacBook Air, the factory SSD is easily converted into an external storage solution inside the Mercury Aura Envoy to complete the two-in-one storage upgrade.

Faster and Bigger Than Factory SSD
By combining award-winning SandForce® technologies and Tier 1/Grade A NAND, OWC Mercury Aura Pro Express SSDs are built to exceed the factory SSD in both speed and capacity. Available in 3Gb/s speeds for the 2010 MacBook Air models and 6Gb/s speeds for the 2011 models, the Aura Pro Express gives MacBook Air owners bigger drive options…up to 480GB for up to 8x greater storage capacity versus original factory SSDs.

Re-tasks the Factory SSD as New External Drive
After watching OWC's free how-to-install Aura Pro Express video showing this upgrade performed in 15 minutes, MacBook Air owners then re-task the factory SSD as a high-performance external drive with the Mercury Aura Envoy. As the industry's only bus-powered (no AC adapter needed) external drive designed specifically for the MacBook Air, the Envoy's tapered, 1.5 ounce aluminum housing complements the MacBook Air's unique shape. No lightweight in the performance department, the Envoy's USB 3.0 interface provides real-world data rates of over 200MB/s with original Apple MBA SSDs for high speed, portable backup and file storage as well as grab-and-go enjoyment of music, movies or videos.

Seven Bundles Available from $199.99 MSRP
The Mercury Aura Bundle comes complete with three installation tools and is available for immediate ordering in both 3G and 6G speeds with up to 480GB storage capacity:
  • 120GB Mercury Aura Pro Express 6G SSD and Mercury Aura Envoy for MacBook Air 2011 $199.99
  • 180GB Mercury Aura Pro Express 6G SSD and Mercury Aura Envoy for MacBook Air 2011 $279.99
  • 240GB Mercury Aura Pro Express 6G SSD and Mercury Aura Envoy for MacBook Air 2011 $349.99
  • 480GB Mercury Aura Pro Express 6G SSD and Mercury Aura Envoy for MacBook Air 2011 $799.99
  • 180GB Mercury Aura Pro Express 3G SSD and Mercury Aura Envoy for MacBook Air 2010 $269.99
  • 240GB Mercury Aura Pro Express 3G SSD and Mercury Aura Envoy for MacBook Air 2010 $349.99
  • 480GB Mercury Aura Pro Express 3G SSD and Mercury Aura Envoy for MacBook Air 2010 $779.99
The Mercury Aura Envoy is also available as a $47.99 MSRP 0GB enclosure only for other external application requirements that benefit from external accessibility to Apple's 2010 and 2011 MBA SSD modules.

"The Mercury Aura Bundle continues our streak of first-to-market with performance upgrades for the MacBook Air," said Larry O'Connor, Founder and CEO, Other World Computing. "This potent, two-upgrades-in-one 'dream team' solution truly takes 2010 and 2011 MacBook Air machines to new levels of performance, convenience, and flexibility."

Bundle Complements Industry's Most Comprehensive SSD Line
The new Mercury Aura Bundle for the 2010 and 2011 MacBook Air models enhances OWC's existing line of performance-leading, world record-breaking 3G (3Gb/s) and 6G (6Gb/s) Mercury SSDs. OWC offers SSDs for nearly every Mac and PC produced over the past decade in capacities from 30GB to 1TB with prices starting from $49.99. 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; About.com 2012 Readers' Choice Award for best Mac Peripheral Reseller; Computerworld Magazine Top Green-IT Companies for 2008; and McHenry County Economic Development Corporation 2008 & 2011 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.

Contact:
Company Contact:
Jennifer Myers: (815) 502-5640 or jmyers@owcdigital.com
OWC is a trademark of New Concepts Development Corporation, registered in U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and Canada. Apple, Mac and MacBook are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. Other marks may be the trademark or registered trademark property of their owners.