Other World Computing (OWC) today introduced a new 160GB external FireWire drive for the Mac and Windows PCs. The new Mercury drive spins at 5400 RPM and uses the Oxford 911 FireWire bridge chip. OWC also announced a price drop on all Mercury FireWire drives.
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With price drops in place, retail prices on the Mercury-branded drives from Other World Computing range from US$149.95 for a 20GB drive to $519.97 for the Mercury On-The-Go 2.5 inch portable drive. The new 160GB FireWire drive introduced today costs $379.95.
OWC founder and president Larry O’Connor explained that prices on the Mercury line have been cut up to 20 percent, in some cases. “We have tested our external FireWire storage solutions against the industry’s best and have not found a faster single drive solution. Our simple plug-and-play hardware makes it easy for anyone to upgrade their computers with FireWire storage technology,” said O’Connor.
OWC offers three different models of Mercury hard drives: the Elite series, which feature capacities from 20 to 120GB, with 7200RPM high-speed mechanisms; the Mercury line, which features 20 to 160GB capacities using 5400RPM mechanisms; and the On-The-Go series, which offer 20-60GB capacities in portable enclosures.
OWC Mercury On-The-Go drives are as small as 3 x 5.5 x 1.0 inches — they’re designed to be portable solutions to allow for easy computer-to-computer data transfer. The company’s Mercury Elite Pro line measure 9 x 1.5 b 5.5 inches, stackable to conserve desktop space. The Mercury Elite Pro line doesn’t require fans because the power supply is a separate brick, so they’re quite quiet, according to OWC.