Other World Computing announced today the industry’s first and only Apple/Mac compatible firmware updater for SandForce Driven Solid State Drives. The fully Mac bootable updater is freely available from OWC for use exclusively with select OWC Mercury Solid State Drive models manufactured since January 2010. This new Mac compatible firmware updater is in addition to firmware update support OWC previously made available for Macintosh computers via the use of Bootcamp, as well as for PCs running the Windows OS.
Offer Easy Mac Friendly Update Experience
OWC’s Mac compatible 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. Mac users only need to download the updater from OWC’s site, obtain and burn a DVD, and then boot from that DVD to launch an easy to use, point and click GUI for installing the latest firmware revision to their OWC Mercury SSD. OWC’s proprietary firmware updater, now available with support for most Mac models.
“We devoted significant resources to provide users of OWC brand SSDs effective, user friendly firmware update solutions,” said Larry O’Connor, Founder and CEO, Other World Computing. “We’re pleased to be able to offer a Mac friendly experience expected by the Mac user community, while also providing standard upgrade packages for Windows and Linux Operating System users. Our development of this solution now ensures enhanced support and rapid releases in the future for the ongoing support of our full SSD line up, regardless of our customer’s preferred OS.”
“We continue to see solid growth of SandForce Driven SSD installations in the Apple Mac community, and a native Mac-based firmware upgrade solution has been highly desired for this expanding market,” said Jeremy Werner, Director of Marketing at SandForce. “This new firmware update solution by OWC will be well received by their users.”
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How in the world can a MacBook Pro 2010 user upgrade their OWC SSD if they used DATA DOUBLER with SuperDrive being completely removed?
This is absolutely not smart or friendly. Please rethink your strategy especially since you sell and encourage your customers to use Data Doubler!
Well, you could always use their external SuperDrive enclosures. You know, the ones they encourage you to buy when you’re buying the Data Doubler? Maybe you should rethink your strategy. They’re doing just fine.
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/OWC/VLSS9TOPTU2/
No they don’t!
Read this: http://blog.macsales.com/9474-owc-ssd-firmware-updated/comment-page-3#comment-46914
I’m experiencing the same thing using the data doubler!
C’mon guys, fix that…
Has OWC’s Mac SSD updater been updated to allow its use on a 2008 Mac Pro 3,1 ?
Not yet. When available, it will be added to the Firmware Updaters page.
Thanks for your work. I have a macpro 4.1 and am trying to update the firmware via bootcamp, I get a message saying that everything is correct but the firmware revision number does not change, what happens?
Thanks again
For technical support assistance to resolve a matter you are currentlyexperiencing, we encourage you to contact our technical support department via:
Live Chat (linked to on top of the OWC web site)
E-mail
By telephone at 1-800-275-4576 | 1-815-338-8685
I suggest you add the following warning to the instructions:
Bluetooth mouse or trackpad won’t function during update process. Connect a USB mouse before running the updater.
I wouldn’t call requiring users to boot from a DVD a “Mac friendly update experience.”
I know OWC is limited by what the supplier of the driver/chips provides to OWC.
Too bad after all this time these suppliers don’t have Mac OS based installer apps.
All entitled to their opinion, MacRat but looking at other SF based processor SSD firmware updaters, ours is as friendly as it gets.
A 3 step point and click process that auto runs on boot up…with a GUI that’s very Mac like….no other SF based drive manufacturer offers this.
and then not requiring any OS dependent aspect…eg. drive partition…and we honestly feel with all aspects considered, it truly embodies the Mac experience.
However of course with some Macs not coming with an optical drive and that likely to be the trend going forward, there needs to be an option to use a USB key with some newer Macs, even if it has to be a USB key supplied by OWC particularly for that purpose.
This sounds great!
I have a Mid-2007 MacBook. I guess I can still use BootCamp to do a firmware update if I need to at some point if my Mac still isn’t supported by this new method?
As I purchased my Extreme 6G in August this year, I doubt it needs an update at this time.
Yes, the Mac compatible updater is an additional way to apply any firmware updates, not a replacement to the Windows based updater that can be used through BootCamp.
Will this firmware updater also work on OCZ SandForce drives?
The OWC firmware updater is only able to support OWC brand SSD models at this time.
“Same processor” doesn’t mean “same firmware” by any means. Both drive design and firmware can have significant differences between manufacturers, even those using the same SandForce based processor. With all that is involved to develop and properly test this utility, we currently do not have plans to support devices from other manufacturers.
You guys are on a roll!!! Nice work
Why isn’t the Mac Pro 3,1 supported? why!? Fortunately for me I purchased my 3G SSD in April 2011 which means it’s already up to date, but I don’t understand why the updater has to be model specific and worst, why a model like the 2008 Mac Pro is left out in the cold…
http://blog.macsales.com/11734-mac-compatible-sandforce-updater-now-available
“Support for more model Macs (especially earlier model Mac Pros (ModelID MacPro1,1 – MacPro3,1) and the current batch of 2011 Macs) is on its way. When we have it, we’ll announce it both here on the OWC Blog and on the Firmware Updater download page.”
Thank You Michael! looking forward to it and for my second SSD, this time for my MBP 2010.