2005 OWC Backgrounder - Other World Computing

Other World Computing
December 2005 Product Backgrounder
OVERVIEW
Other World Computing (OWC) is a leading provider of products and services for the Macintosh
marketplace. The company’s online catalog, Macsales.com, features thousands of upgrade products for
Macintosh computers, including memory, FireWire and USB storage solutions, CD-R/RW and DVD-R/RW
drives and G3/G4 accelerators. Included within the products offered at Macsales.com are OWC’s own product
lines, Mercury™ and Neptune™, as well as the full line of OWC’s wildly popular iPod replacement batteries.
OWC also offers several products designed to protect laptop computers and other electronic devices.
In addition to its upgrade products, OWC offers ongoing technical support for Macintosh enthusiasts around
the world, and dial-up and broadband Internet access throughout the United States. The company also
owns the exclusive licensing rights for the popular shareware utility, XPostFacto, which allows unsupported
Apple models to use the modern Apple OS X Versions 10.0.4, 10.1.x, 10.2.x, 10.3.x and the latest 10.4 Tiger.
HARDWARE
OWC Mercury™
Introduced in the mid 1990s, OWC Mercury™ is a line of computer upgrade products assembled by OWC
in its 10,000-square-foot facility in Woodstock, Ill. The product line includes accelerators, FireWire storage
solutions, external enclosures and CD and DVD writer drives, most available in FireWire + USB 2.0/1.1 or
FireWire only.
Processor upgrades:
OWC Mercury™ Extreme processors are considered among the fastest in the industry. They are fully
compatible with OS X, do not require any backside cache enabling software and are simple plug-and-play
technology. All OWC Mercury™ processors come with a two- or three-year warranty.
OWC Mercury™ Extreme Processor Upgrades
Prices start at $195.00.
• G4/933MHz-1GHz, G4/1.2GHz, G4/1.4GHz and G4/1.467-1.5GHz.
Mercury™ Storage Solutions:
OWC Mercury™ FireWire storage solutions have been rated among the fastest in the industry with a
maximum data transfer rate of more than 40 megabytes per second for FireWire 400 devices and more than
60 megabytes per second for FireWire 800 devices. All of OWC’s FireWire hard drives use Oxford911 chipsets
and are 100 percent compatible with Apple’s OS X 10.4 Tiger. OWC uses quality parts from IBM/Hitachi,
Initio, Oxford, Pioneer, Seagate, Teac and Toshiba in its external storage products. All OWC hard drives come
preinstalled with Intech’s Hard Disk Speed Tools and EMC/Dantz Retrospect Backup.
Other World Computing - Serving the Mac universe since 1988
visit: macsales.com
toll free: 800.275.4576
OWC Mercury™ Elite Pro USB 2.0
Prices start at $99.99.
• 80-, 160-, 200-, 250- and 320GB External Storage Solutions operating at 7200RPM.
OWC Mercury™ Elite Pro FireWire 400 + USB 2.0
Prices start at $129.99.
• 80-, 160-, 200-, 250-, 300- and 400GB External Combo Storage Solutions operating at 7200RPM.
OWC Mercury™ Elite Pro FireWire 800/400
Prices start at $159.99.
• 80-, 160-, 200-, 250-, 300- and 400GB External Storage Solutions operating at 7200RPM.
OWC Mercury™ Elite Pro FireWire 800/400 + USB 2.0
Prices start at $169.99.
• 80-, 160-, 200-, 250-, 300- and 400GB External Combo Storage Solutions operating at 7200RPM.
OWC Mercury™ Elite-AL Pro FireWire 400+USB 2.0
Prices start at $129.99.
• 80-, 160-, 200-, 250-, 300-, 400- and 500GB External Combo Storage Solutions operating at 7200RPM.
OWC Mercury™ Elite-AL Pro FireWire 800/400
Prices start at $149.99.
• 80-, 160-, 200-, 250-, 300-, 400- and 500GB External Storage Solutions operating at 7200RPM.
OWC Mercury™ Elite-AL Pro FireWire 800/400+USB 2.0
Prices start at $159.99.
• 80-, 160-, 200-, 250-, 300-, 400- and 500GB External Combo Storage Solutions operating at 7200RPM.
OWC Mercury™ Elite-AL Pro RAID FireWire 800/400
Prices start at $239.99.
• 160-, 320-, 400-, 500-, 600-, 800GB and 1TB External Storage Solutions operating at 7200RPM.
OWC Mercury™ On-The-Go FireWire 400+ USB 2.0 Portable
Prices start at $129.99.
• 40-, 60-, 80-, 100- and 120GB Portable FireWire + USB 2.0 Solutions operating at 4200, 5400 or 7200RPM.
OWC Mercury™ On-The-Go FireWire 400 Portable
Prices start at $124.99.
• 40-, 60-, 80-, 100- and 120GB Portable FireWire + USB 2.0 Solutions operating at 4200, 5400 or 7200RPM.
OWC Mercury™ Express Portable FireWire
Prices start at $109.99.
• 40-, 60- and 80GB FireWire Portable Storage Solutions operating at 4200RPM.
Other World Computing - Serving the Mac universe since 1988
visit: macsales.com
toll free: 800.275.4576
OWC Neptune™ Storage Solutions:
The OWC Neptune™ brand offers top quality components and performance at “value done right” for their
performance and price.
OWC Neptune™ FireWire “Value Done Right”
Prices start at $104.99.
• 80-, 160-, 200-, 250-, 320- and 400GB FireWire Solutions operating at 7200RPM.
External CD-R/RW and DVD-R/RW Drives:
OWC Mercury™ CD/DVD FireWire and FireWire/USB products are compatible with Apple iTunes, Apple DVD
Studio Pro, Roxio Toast, CharisMac Discribe and many other Apple and third party DVD/CD tools and players.
Each OWC CD and DVD drive ships with blank media and a popular CD- or DVD-creation software application.
OWC Mercury™ Pro FireWire DVD-R/RW+CD-R/RW FireWire + USB 2.0/1.1
Priced at $134.99.
• DVR-110 model available, 2MB data buffer, and FireWire 400 and USB 2.0 compatibility.
OWC Mercury™ Pro CD-RW FireWire/USB
Prices start at $94.99.
• 2MB data buffer and FireWire 400 and USB 2.0 compatibility.
Internal CD-R/RW and DVD-R/RW Drives:
OWC Mercury™ CD/DVD internal drives are available for a variety of Apple PowerBook G4 models and Apple’s
G4 Cube. All drives are compatible with Apple iTunes, Apple DVD Studio Pro, Roxio Toast, CharisMac Discribe
and many other Apple and third party DVD/CD tools and players. Each OWC CD and DVD drive ships with
blank media and a popular CD- or DVD-creation software application.
OWC Mercury™ PBG4 SuperDrive
Priced at $139.99.
• 2MB data buffer, fits 12-, 15- and 17-inch AL and 15-inch Titanium models that have a CD-R/RW+DVD-Rom
or other ‘SuperDrive’, DVD burn speeds up to 8X and CD burn speeds up to 24X.
OWC Mercury™ Ti SuperDrive
Priced at $199.99.
• 2MB data buffer, fits 15-inch Titanium PowerBook G4 models that currently have a CD/DVD Read Only
drive, DVD burn speeds up to 8X and CD burn speeds up to 24X.
OWC Mercury™ iMac G5 SuperDrive
Priced at $139.99.
• 2MB data buffer, fits all iMac G5 models, DVD burn speeds up to 8X and CD burn speeds up to 24X.
OWC Mercury™ Cube SuperDrives
Priced at $199.99.
• 2MB data buffer, fits all PowerMac Cube G4 models, DVD burn speeds up to 8X and CD burn speeds up to 24X.
Priced at $159.
• 2MB data buffer, fits all PowerMac Cube G4 models, DVD read speeds up to 24X and CD burn speeds up to 24X.
Other World Computing - Serving the Mac universe since 1988
visit: macsales.com
toll free: 800.275.4576
Newer Technology, Inc. (NewerTech) Battery Solutions:
OWC’s NewerTech brand division leads the way when it comes to high-capacity PowerBook, iBook and iPod
batteries. Given high marks from industry reviewers, the NewerTech line of batteries provides the longest run
times of any replacement battery on the market designed to take the place of the original Apple battery.
PowerBook G4 Titanium Batteries
Prices starting at $139.99.
• 4400mAh model offers up to 30 percent more capacity than Apple’s
• 4800mAh model offers up to 42 percent more capacity than Apple’s
PowerBook G4 12-inch Aluminum Battery
Priced at $139.99.
• 4800mAh model offers up to 13 percent more capacity than Apple’s
PowerBook G4 15-inch Aluminum Battery
Priced at $129.99.
• 4800mAh model offers up to 11 percent more capacity than Apple’s
PowerBook G4 17-inch Aluminum Batteries
Prices starting at$139.99.
• 5400mAh model offers up to 9 percent more capacity than Apple’s
• 6000mAh model offers up to 21 percent more capacity than Apple’s
PowerBook G3 Wallstreet Battery
Priced at $139.99.
• 4500mAh model offers up to 25 percent more capacity than Apple’s
PowerBook G3 Lombard & FireWire (Pismo) Batteries
Prices starting at $139.95.
• 5400mAh model offers up to 12.5 percent more capacity than Apple’s
• 6600mAh model offers up to 37.5 percent more capacity than Apple’s
• 7200mAh model offers up to 50 percent more capacity than Apple’s
iBook G3 ‘Clamshell’ Batteries
Prices starting at $119.99.
• 4400mAh model offers up to 37.5 percent more capacity than Apple’s
• 4800mAh model offers up to 50 percent more capacity than Apple’s
iBook G3 and G4 12-inch models
Prices starting at $119.99.
• 3600mAh model offers up to 12 percent more capacity than Apple’s
• 4800mAh model offers up to 50 percent more capacity than Apple’s
iBook G3 and G4 14-inch models
Prices starting at $119.99.
• 4000mAh model offers up to 7 percent more capacity than Apple’s
• 4800mAh model offers up to 29 percent more capacity than Apple’s
Other World Computing - Serving the Mac universe since 1988
visit: macsales.com
toll free: 800.275.4576
iPod First- and Second-Generation model Battery
Priced at $29.99.
• 2200mAh model offers up to 78 percent more capacity than Apple’s
iPod Third-Generation model Battery
Priced at $25.99.
• 850mAh model offers 30 percent more capacity than Apple’s
iPod Fourth-Generation model Batteries
Prices starting at $25.95.
• 750mAh model offers up to 20 percent more capacity than Apple’s
• 900mAh model offers up to 40 percent more capacity than Apple’s
iPod Photo model Batteries
Prices starting at $25.95.
• 750mAh model offers up to 20 percent more capacity than Apple’s
• 900mAh model offers up to 28 percent more capacity than Apple’s
iPod mini model Battery
Priced at $24.95.
• 600mAh model offers up to 50 percent more capacity than Apple’s
Newer Technology, Inc. (NewerTech) Battery Solutions:
NewerTech not only offers the highest capacity laptop replacement batteries on the market, but now offers
consumers the best way to get the most useful life possible out of NewerTech, Apple or other third party
replacement batteries.
Charger/conditioner for PowerBook G4 12-inch Aluminum models
Priced at $149.95.
Charger/conditioner for PowerBook G4 15-inch Aluminum models
Priced at $149.95.
Charger/conditioner for PowerBook G4 15-inch Titanium models
Priced at $149.95.
Charger/conditioner for PowerBook G4 17-inch models
Priced at $149.95.
Charger/conditioner for iBook G3/G4 12-inch models
Priced at $149.95.
Charger/conditioner for iBook G3/G4 14-inch models
Priced at $149.95.
Other World Computing - Serving the Mac universe since 1988
visit: macsales.com
toll free: 800.275.4576
Newer Technology, Inc. (NewerTech) iPod Accessories:
In addition to offering the longest-lasting batteries available for Apple’s iPod, NewerTech gives you the tools
to play your tunes in the car through its RoadTrip! and play/charge your iPod with the RoadTrip!+. Simply
plug one end of your RoadTrip!+ into your car’s 12volt jack and the other into your iPod, tune your radio to
the appropriate frequency and jam on.
RoadTrip! FM Transmitter Priced at $14.99.
• 87.9MHz version for any audio device with a 1/8-inch jack
RoadTrip!+ FM Transmitter and iPod charger Priced at $27.95.
• 87.9MHz version for iPod models with a dock connection
Newer Technology 120v-12v Portable Power Adapter Priced at $6.95.
• This compact device allows you to power many standard auto accessories in your home
Newer Technology, Inc. (NewerTech) mini Accessories:
NewerTech has a full line of accessories to complement your new Mac mini
Prices starting at $24.95.
• NuClear mini – a clear acrylic base cut to match the mini’s dimensions and lift it 1.5-inches off your desk.
Priced at $24.95.
• NuBlue mini – the same base as the NuClear, but with a cool blue glow.
Priced at $29.95.
• NuShelf mini – an acrylic shelf that allows you to mount your mini under a desk or shelf.
Priced at $34.95.
• NuStand mini – an acrylic stand that supports CRT displays up to 22 inches and LCD displays up to 30 inches.
Priced at $39.95.
• NuBracket – a powder coated aluminum bracket that allows you to mount your Mac mini power adapter
under your desk or to a shelf.
Priced at $7.99.
Newer Technology, Inc. (NewerTech) mini Storage Solutions:
NewerTech offers a line of FireWire storage solutions that have received high marks for their design and
performance. The miniStack™ line was designed with Apple’s Mac mini in mind but will work with any Mac
or PC with an available FireWire or USB port. Each drive features a smart power switch so the drive turns
on with your mini; a thermal probe that automatically regulates and varies fan speed according to the
temperature; and provides an integrated 2-Port FireWire and 3-Port USB 2.0/1.1 hub for additional devices.
The miniStack™ line utilizes the latest Oxford911+ chipset in a custom FireWire/USB2 bridge for unrivaled
performance and reliability. And, if one miniStack isn’t enough, you can add more to your ‘stack’ for all the
storage space and ports desired.
NewerTech miniStack FireWire 400/USB 2.0
• 80-, 160-, 250-, 320-, 400- and 500GB External Combo Storage Solutions operating at 7200RPM.
Prices starting at $139.99.
Other World Computing - Serving the Mac universe since 1988
visit: macsales.com
toll free: 800.275.4576
SERVICES
OWC.Net
Other World Computing has offered dial-up Internet services since 1997. OWC now provides dial-up, DSL
and ISDN services, as well as e-business services for the greater Chicagoland area. Currently, OWC.Net is the
second largest independent ISP in McHenry County, Ill.
In 2002 OWC upgraded OWC.Net to support the new V.92 dial-up modem specification from the
International Telecommunications Union, making OWC.Net one of the first ISPs in the country and the first in
the greater Chicago area to offer V.92 services. The specification introduced three new features that added
convenience and performance for OWC.Net’s dial-up customers, including Modem-on-Hold, Quick Connect
and Pulse Code Modulation Upstream.
• 56K, v.90/v.92 and ISDN 64K dial-up pricing
Starts at $5.99 per month
• DSL pricing
Starts at $14.99 per month
FasterMac.net
FasterMac.net has been providing nationwide 56K dialup and ISDN Internet access specifically for Macintosh
computer users since March 2003. It provides online, step-by-step technical directions for configuring Macspecific operating systems and e-mail clients with the FasterMac.net service.
FasterMac.net offers three types of service: unlimited dial-up, 200-hour limited ISDN and accelerated,
unlimited, nationwide dial-up service (TurboMac). Using specialized software that enables on-the-fly data
caching and compression/decompression results in page-loads up to six-and-a-half times faster than
standard 56K services are able to provide.
Additionally, FasterMac.net users do not have to use any third-party software, and are insured that
information provided to OWC only will be used for account maintenance.
Other World Computing - Serving the Mac universe since 1988
visit: macsales.com
toll free: 800.275.4576
SOFTWARE
XPostFacto
Not only has Apple limited its support for OS X to Macintosh models powered by a G3 or G4 processor, OS X
also cannot (as is) be installed on earlier machines. With the help of OWC’s free XPostFacto utility, users can
install Mac OS X and Mac OS X Server on select unsupported pre-G3 systems from an unmodified Mac OS X
CD and do so with only three more mouse clicks than it takes to install OS X on an Apple-supported model.
The 3.0 version of XPostFacto was the first application that made it possible to boot from a FireWire drive
via computers using a third-party FireWire PCI card and/or that lack Apple FireWire boot support for built-in
ports. When OS X is installed on a system with XPostFacto, the features and usage are the same as they are
on an Apple-supported model. OWC also provides ongoing technical support for these older systems that
use XPostFacto to run OS X. The 4.0 version allows unsupported Macs to run Apple’s latest operating system
OSX 10.4 Tiger.
The following Apple PowerMac models can install and utilize Mac OS X and Mac OS X Server with the help
of XPostFacto:
• 7300, 7500 and 7600;
• 8500 and 8600;
• 9500 and 9600;
• Selected clones (Umax S900 and J700; and Power Computing PowerWave and PowerTowerPro);
• PowerBook 3400, G3 Kanga (a.k.a. 3500); and
• The PowerMac G3 Beige and PowerBook G3 Wall Street series.
Other World Computing - Serving the Mac universe since 1988
visit: macsales.com
toll free: 800.275.4576
MISCELLANEOUS
Laptop Screen Protectors
Made from 100 percent natural, top-grain cowhide, OWC’s Laptop Screen Protectors are made to fit across a
laptop’s keyboard to prevent the keyboard and buttons on the base of the laptop from coming in contact with,
and leaving skin oils or permanent marks and indentations on, the laptop screen or LCD (liquid crystal display).
Prices start at $13.95.
For up-to-the-minute pricing on all Other World Computing products, please see www.macsales.com.
Other World Computing contacts:
• Rikki Lee Travolta, Public Relations Specialist
[email protected], 815-333-5006 (office), 800-275-4576 X 106 (toll-free)
• Jen Schaumburg, Public Relations Manager
[email protected], 815-333-5023 (office), 800-275-4576 X 123 (toll-free), 815-355-3507 (mobile)
Other World Computing - Serving the Mac universe since 1988
visit: macsales.com
toll free: 800.275.4576