Other World Computing announced today the OWC Mercury Aura Pro and Envoy Pro as the industry’s only high-performance internal and external Solid State Drive storage solution for 2012 MacBook® Pro with Retina display (rMBP) computers. Available in 480GB capacity, the 6G (6Gb/s) SandForce Driven™ Mercury Aura Pro offers rMBP owners up to nearly 3x more storage and/or backup capacity than the factory base model 128GB flash module. The Envoy Pro offers continued use of the factory flash module after upgrading with the Aura Pro. OWC will highlight the Mercury Aura Pro and Envoy Pro along with its broad line of award-winning SSDs in its booth #5812 in the LVCC North Hall during the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), which begins Tuesday in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Eliminates ‘Factory Locked’ Storage Configuration, Offers Savings Over Factory Upgrade
Instead of being ‘factory locked’, the OWC Aura Pro gives rMBP owners the freedom to upgrade internal capacity to meet storage needs. When first introduced, the MacBook Pro with Retina display base model offered a 256GB SSD configuration with no upgrade option. Current 13 and 15 inch base model SSD configurations range from 128GB to 256GB. The 480GB Mercury Aura Pro offers a $220 savings over the comparable sized 512GB factory capacity upgrade costing $800. And just like other OWC upgrades, all required installation tools and a free ‘how-to’ video are included to make the Aura Pro an easy and money-saving DIY upgrade.
Envoy Pro Offers Continued Use of Factory Flash Module
A key benefit for Apple notebook owners when choosing an OWC SSD is the retention of the original factory flash module. When upgrading directly with the factory, consumers pay for the base flash capacity module, but do not get that original base flash module returned to them for re-use. Thanks to the OWC Envoy Pro portable enclosure, rMBP owners upgrading with a Mercury Aura Pro SSD can re-task the original factory flash module as a USB 3.0/2.0 bus-powered external drive for additional storage and/or backup duty.
Expert Tested and Reviewed
Several leading technology sites have noted the Mercury Aura Pro’s performance advantage compared to the Apple factory SSDs. Electronista.com pointed out “new and improved” Apple SSDs reach read speeds of 461MB per second and write speeds of 364MB per second, while the Mercury Aura Pro is rated at up to 500MB/s. Expert SSD industry source TheSSDReview.com found LSI SandForce Driven™ based SSDs offer “excellent performance” over 500MB/s and that these SSDs “excel in highly compressible data testing which is the bread and butter of typical consumer use.” The Mac Observer performed extensive benchmark testing and declared “The Aura Pro SSD outperforms the Apple SSD in nearly every way. For rMBP owners (or soon-to-be-owners) who ordered a model with the stock SSD, the upgrade to the Aura Pro is a no-brainer if you need more capacity, speed, or both.”
Pricing, Availability
The Mercury Aura Pro for the 2012 MacBook Pro with Retina display computers is available immediately as a drive only for $579.99 and value priced bundle with the Envoy Pro for $629.99. Additional capacity models will be announced later in 2013. For more information on the Mercury Aura Pro for 2012 MacBook Pro with Retina display, visit: https://eshop.macsales.com/shop/SSD/OWC/Aura_Pro_Retina_2012/
“We’re thrilled to offer the only complete, high-performance internal and external SSD-based storage solution to owners of the most advanced Apple MacBook offered,” said Larry O’Connor, Founder and CEO, Other World Computing. “With the base Retina models offering as little as 128GB capacity, our mission was to create a SSD with greater capacity, but with significant cost savings versus comparable-sized factory options. Our second challenge was to design an external enclosure that could handle the power requirements of the factory flash module. Envoy Pro is an exceptional feat of engineering and Retina owners will find it was certainly worth the wait.”
Other Topics You Might Like:
Other World Computing Expands Industry’s Only SSD Upgrade Solution for Apple MacBook Pro with Retina Display Computers
OWC Announces Mercury Aura Pro as Industry’s First Solid State Drive Upgrade for 2012 MacBook Pro with Retina display
New OWC Mercury Aura Pro Express 6G 480GB SSD Offers Up To 3x Faster Performance And 8x More Storage Capacity For Apple MacBook Air
OWC Announces Mercury Aura Envoy as Industry’s First Bus-Powered Enclosure for Using Apple MacBook Air SSD as a Portable External Drive
Any word on higher capacity upgrades?
Hi Tim. We can’t speak about timeframes or potential new products here on the OWC Blog. But when we’re ready to announce new products, you’ll hear it here first.
Expect a review on the product very soon. I’ve just ordered mine and will test it thoroughly. Look forward to its arrival.
Does this mean the Envoy will be shipping soon to those of us who ordered the Aura Pro last year?
Yes.
No word on larger capacity Mercury Aura Pro?
No word yet.
Any plans to test if this will work with the 2012 iMacs?
Initial testing has been completed and we do not have an SSD offering for those models at this time. That’s not to say never, just not right now. ;-)
Why not? I hoped that owc will release a fusiondrive upgrade for imac 2012. It seems that the ssd in the new imac are the same like the ssd in the macbook retina.
aww :(
I do have a backup plan though … a 2013 mac pro (assuming it lives up to the hype and is not a 2012 ‘upgrade’ again) and a Viper. :)
Gee, is it too obvious I want my next machine to have an OWC SSD?