OWC Releases 500GB Portable Hard Drive (FireWire 400/800, USB 2.0)
OWC Releases 500GB Portable Hard Drive (FireWire 400/800, USB 2.0)
by , 11:50 AM EDT, April 18th, 2008
Other World Computing (OWC) announced Friday the OWC Mercury On-The-Go 500GB, 5400RPM portable storage drive. This device is a bus-powered, palm-sized portable hard drive with support for FireWire 800, FireWire 400 (the original FireWire), and USB 2.0 connections. The company said it is the largest portable hard drive it has yet offered.
The unit is priced at US$359.99, and is available today. It includes:
- A carrying case
- Cables for all interfaces specific to this model
- Prosoft DataRescue III for OS X and NovaStor NovaBackup for Windows.
The company noted that all drives are covered by a one-year warranty and are compatible with Apple OS Versions 8.5 through 9.2.x; Apple OS X 10.0.3 and higher (including the latest OS 10.5.x), as well as Microsoft Windows 98SE, ME, 2000, XP, Vista.
 The OWC Mercury On-The-Go 500GB Photo courtesy of OWC |
|---|
Observer Comments
Fri Apr 18, 2008 1:32 pm Subject: damn! no e-sata port - that's a deal breaker
1) why would owc go to all the trouble - at this price point - and omit e-sata when there are other enclosures that do have quad ports?!
2) no mention is made of the mechanism?! (fuji, samsung, hitatchi) ...
it potentially makes a big difference for performance if the mechanism has 2 platters or a 3 platters ... the fewer the platters, the higher the data density, the higher the data rate!!
much of the perceived performance limitations of a slower RPM (5400 vs 7200) can be overcome in practice if using higher density media (on fewer platters).
3) clarification please (which requires, um, actual reportage - ie pick up the phone & call a real person) ... while it is obvious that 2.5" mechanisms can not be run at 10Krpm inside a laptop (they are included in iscsi-type of servers and sans), it is not obvious why a 7200 rpm mechanism could not be used in an external enclosure that is not as thermally constrained as a laptop is!?
i guess the manufacturers think that most of their sales will be for oem's building laptops so they are going to ignore the performance needs of the market? (yet lower density 2.5" mechanisms ship to retail at 7200rpm!)
3) why wouldnt macobserver add some value / perform an editorial function and actually draw attention to these issues?!
I would assume it is the new hitachi drive they are offering:
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Hitachi/0A53487/
Quotezahadum wrote:
1) why would owc go to all the trouble - at this price point - and omit e-sata when there are other enclosures that do have quad ports?!
It is probably a question of real estate. When you look at the business end of a Firewire 800 version there are two FW800 ports (for daisy-chaining), one USB port, an plug for a power adapter and an on/off switch. Gets a little busy. This thing is really small.
On large capacity drives (over 250GB), high data density on fewer platters make drives far less RELIABLE over long term use. Server grade hard drives avoid high data density by using more platters and lower data density, vastly improving longevity and data integrity. I'm sick of high-density consumer hard drives crapping out after 12-18 months, so I'll gladly welcome more platters and lower density. I want to use this thing 2 years from now, not be shopping for a new one in 12 months.
Quotezahadum wrote:
2) no mention is made of the mechanism?! (fuji, samsung, hitatchi) ...
it potentially makes a big difference for performance if the mechanism has 2 platters or a 3 platters ... the fewer the platters, the higher the data density, the higher the data rate!!
much of the perceived performance limitations of a slower RPM (5400 vs 7200) can be overcome in practice if using higher density media (on fewer platters).
Comments are currently closed. Please email the author instead.
Recent Headlines - Updated February 13th
- Sat, 4:11 PM
- MacOS KenDensed - MacOS KenDensed: iPad 3 Frenzy, Big-time Apple & Steve Jobs, G-Man
- Fri, 8:10 PM
- News - Apple Sues Motorola Mobility in California Over German Case
- 7:54 PM
- Free on iTunes - OnLive Desktop: Windows & Office on Your iPad
- 7:43 PM
- Product News - Apple Rolls Out MacBook Air Configurations for Education
- 6:35 PM
- Just a Peek - Battle Pocket Bulge With The Hint for iPhone
- 6:01 PM
- Rumor - Apple Reportedly Bringing MacBook Air Styling to Pro Line
- 4:50 PM
- Particle Debris - The Hidden Gotchas of Browser Security
- 3:56 PM
- Apple Stock Watch - Analyst: Paying a Dividend Makes Sense for Apple
- 2:58 PM
- Deal Brothers - iMac 27-inch 2.93GHz Intel Quad-Core i7 processor: $1,999
- 2:45 PM
- In-Depth Review - Theodolite App for iOS is Breathtaking
- 12:52 PM
- Apple Stock Watch - Mizuho Securities Starts Apple Coverage with $635 Target
- 11:35 AM
- Hot Forum Topic - Forum Poll: Are You Planning on Buying a New iPad?
The Mac Observer Reader Specials
TypeStyler 11 is now in the Mac App Store!! -- Special Introductory Price of $59.95!! -- To Buy From The Mac App Store Click Here Now!! Or buy direct
from Strider Software.
Mac RAM Upgrades: MacBook Pro 16GB kits $475, 8GB Kits for $119.99! iMac 16GB RAM Kits (4x 4GB) for $229.99! Mac Pro Memory 32GB Kit for $399.99, 64GB Kit for $889.99! Mac Hard Drives 2TB Seagate SATA II for $249.99! Click Here!
-
If you're using a Mac, then you've gotta check out Online Poker Mac.
This mac poker and online casino mac site
actually does the unthinkable, it actually rewards! -
-
-
-
-
-
