Continuing on with our series of instructional videos, this week we take a look at another common upgrade for the 2009 MacBook—putting in a new hard drive. You can always use more storage space, so adding a new hard drive is something you may want to consider if you’re “feeling the pinch” of too little room.

Fortunately, unlike with the new iMacs, upgrading the hard drive on the new MacBooks is easy to do. All you need are the right materials and the knowledge of how to perform the upgrade.

First, you’ll need a compatible hard drive.

You’ll also want to have the appropriate tools – in this case, a #00 Phillips screwdriver and a Torx T6 screwdriver (both of which are available in the NewerTech 11-piece Toolkit).

If you plan on transferring the data from your old drive, you’ll need some way of accessing it, either via a docking device like the NewerTech Voyager Q or S2, an external drive enclosure, or a simple USB adapter, such as the NewerTech Universal Drive Adapter. Personally, I’d suggest the enclosure, as it lets you continue to use the old drive for other purposes.

The final thing you need is knowledge, and that brings us back to where we came in. Our latest instructional video will walk you step-by-step through the installation process, and you can find it both in our Tech Center and on our YouTube Channel.

Just last week, Apple released a bunch of new Macs. You know what that means; it’s time for more upgrade videos!

To start out this new batch of upgrade instructions, we’re going to show you how to upgrade the memory in the new MacBook.

If you’re a regular reader of the OWC Blog, you should know by now that—dollar for dollar—adding more memory to your system gives you the best performance boost for the investment. Combine that with Snow Leopard’s ability to utilize memory better than its predecessors, and you have very little reason for not putting as much RAM into your Mac as you can reasonably afford.

Fortunately, Apple made upgrading the memory in the new MacBooks incredibly easy to do. Just remove the bottom cover, replace the memory and then close it all up. In no time at all, you’ll be able to upgrade the stock 2GB of memory to 4GB or even 8GB!

Sounds simple enough, doesn’t it? See for yourself by checking out the video in our Tech Center or on our YouTube Channel.

With Apple’s new machine releases, we’re hard at work in the OWC Test Labs seeing just how fast we can make the machines go.

Our first machine that we’re looking at is the October 2009 2.26GHz MacBook.  This machine is pretty tight on the inside – meaning there isn’t much extra unnecessary space inside.  Like the iPod and iPhone, conservation of space seems to be a high-priority of Apple’s design teams.  So even though the machine is lighter and sleeker, it does pose some drawbacks in upgrading.  This Macbook has no problem running either a 5400rpm, 7200rpm or SSD drive for the fastest speeds, however; the physical height of the drive is limited to the 9.5mm form factor.  The 12.5mm drives are too tall to fit in the space provided.

I should reiterate that point.  The drive doesn’t officially fit.  Sure, we were able to cram it in, and screw the cover closed (with a little bowing of the bottom) but we don’t suggest or will support actually running the drive this way.  Too much physical pressure on a drive can certainly contribute to early drive failure – it’s just not worth risking your data or the expense of a warranty compromised drive.

We’re pleased to announce our findings that our OWC brand memory certainly takes the cake in these machines!  While Apple lists 4GB as the maximum amount of installable memory, our 8GB memory kit OWC8566DDR3S8GP is now tested and fully certified for the full 8GB utilization – a real performance benefit for memory intensive application loads. While we were at it, we also tested another brand 8GB memory kit and found it consistently caused kernel panics and non-boot issues. Even though both are the same spec of DDR3 1066MHZ SO-DIMM, sometimes quality does have its result.

Thus, when we talk about how OWC brand memory meets or exceeds all Apple requirements for memory, it’s not just idle chatter or marketing-speak. Our on-premise testing lab enables us to physically confirm this fact for every machine listed in our compatibility charts.  Then, we back our quality assurance with a lifetime warranty.  How can you go wrong?

After last month’s rather disappointing iTunes event, it’s good to see an Apple product announcement with some substance behind it.

This time around, the improvements were made to products that traditionally catered to the “consumer” end: the iMac, the Mac mini, and the MacBook. There were also a couple of tweaks to the AirPort Extreme Base Station and Time Capsule, though nothing really worth noting. Rounding out the bunch was the introduction of a new multi-touch mouse.

As we get these new models in for testing (and, of course, videos showing you how to upgrade them) we’ll be going over them in a little more detail. For now, though, let’s reflect on what’s been announced and what potential they hold.

more…

We’re continuing  our diligent work here at the OWC testing lab benchmarking every machine compatible with Snow Leopard and should be ready to start posting some of the results soon.

In the meantime, however, we found some great nuggets of information that we’d like to share!

For our latest test, we took two machines in which the most memory that can be installed was 2GB, maxed out their memory, and checked the performance gains that installing a faster hard drive can provide.  The results were quite impressive!

The Contenders:

The original 2006 MacBook 13″
1.83GHz Core Duo running OS 10.6.1

The 2004 iMac G5 20″
PowerPC 1.8GHz running 10.5.8

Heres what we found:

• The Photoshop Action Test measures the time (in seconds) it takes to execute a custom action script comprising of 47 commonly-used, memory-intensive processes on a 21 megapixel image using Adobe Photoshop CS4. It is designed to represent an average photo editing session of a graphic artist. No other processes are running in the background besides those that keep the machine itself running. This is pure, linear computing where every available resource is on hand for the one test running.  Lower times are better.
• Our Stress Test is a variation on the Photoshop Action Test where the test is performed while iTunes is playing music with the visualizer running. This test adds one additional program to represent that additional light computing we do on the side in real life. With the Visualizer on, the resource draw on the machine is not limited to processor power and memory but to the video card and memory allocated for video as well. Lower times are better.
• The 16 Program Launch test simply measures the time (in seconds) it takes for 16 common programs* from OS X and iLife to open simultaneously.  Lower times are better.
• The Boot Time Test is exactly what it sounds like – the time it takes to boot the machine.  Again, lower times are better.

Considering the investment that a new Apple computer can cost, it makes sense to get all you can out of the machine you have before taking the plunge.  Installing a Solid State Drive can certainly extend the retirement date of your existing Mac for a fraction of the cost of a new computer.

Avast Ye and a hearty Happy Talk Like a Pirate Day to ya!

And with the pirate theme today check out our specials and clearance listin’s with prices so low you will practically be stealin’ t’ booty from us.

Just a few of t’ gems ye’ll be findin’ thar:

Apple genuine Magsafe 45W, 60W and 85W Power Adapters from $42.75

Kensington PocketLink 3-in-1 Cable- Retractable Ethernet, USB & Telephone cord for mobile or home use for only $2.99

The Vidpro SN-925 Notebook Workstation with Integrated 6 port USB 2.0 powered Hub & Media Card Reader. only $29.99

Apple Genuine MacBook and MacBook Pro batteries from only $49.99

…and who could live without t’ LIDAR evading Laser Plate – Clear Automobile License Plate Protective Shield  for only a measly $4.99 Arrr!

So join us in a tankard of grog, Rum, or brain toniq and join in the fun.

For complete information on the world-wide phenomenon that IS Talk like a Pirate Day, check out the official website:

There are few constants in life. Death and taxes are the cliché ones. I’ll also add to the list the Chicago Cubs not making it to the World Series, movies based off of video games being terrible, and memory upgrades from Apple costing way too much.

That last one is a big one in the Mac community; it can cost up to $1100 to upgrade the latest model iMac, MacBook or MacBook Pro to a full 8GB if you get your memory from Apple.

That’s just plain silly.

As we have mentioned time and time again, adding more memory is—dollar for dollar—the most cost-effective upgrade you can perform on your Mac, a constant that is even more true now that Snow Leopard is on the scene. That is, of course, as long as you don’t fall into the trap of buying your memory from Apple.

OWC now has 8GB upgrade kits for $519.99. That’s less than half of what it would cost to upgrade your Mac to 8GB at the factory. Making this deal even better, an additional $45 Rebate is available with the trade-in of the factory standard 4GB memory set (two 2GB chips), giving this upgrade a net cost of well under $500! That’s a heck of a lot better than the $1100 Apple charges. The only difference is that you need to install it yourself. Fortunately, we have free instructions for performing these upgrades easily available.

There are also 6GB Kits for both the latest the latest DDR3 models as well as 6GB DDR2 Kits for previous generation iMac, MacBook, and MacBook Pro models that originally only had up to 4GB possible. Prices for these start at $174.99 for the DDR2 kits and $299.99 for the DDR3 kit, and these are immediately available.

Of course, if you want more RAM but don’t want to max out the machine, there are other options available for iMacs, Mac minis, MacBooks  and MacBook Pros, as well.

While there has been quite a debate over Apple’s decision to provide an SD card slot rather than an ExpressCard slot on the MacBook Pro 13″ and 15″ models, the fact of the matter remains that these machines are available and that many of us will be using these laptops. So how do we make the best use of our new port?

The first few suggestions are obvious – use the card reader to read the information from your SD compatible camera, PDA, or cell phone. Also use the SD card for removable storage just as you would use a USB flash drive.

In my overall review of the MacBook Pro at its release, I had gone into detail on the storage capabilities of the SD cards to come. And I touched on the bootability aspect of the SD card slot. But what makes this important? Well the answer is twofold. A trim, clean, uncluttered startup disk boots much faster than one with all your programs and files installed on it. As a laptop typically only comes with one hard drive, we used to be limited to using the internal drive with all our saved data and programs cluttering it up, or carrying around a separate external boot drive such as a Mercury On-The-Go or Express. The SD card is physically so much smaller and an 8GB card has more than enough room to hold a trim, clean version of OS X 10.5 (a 16GB SD card has enough room to hold a full version of the OS).  Just make sure you don’t pull out the SD card while you’re still using it.

Additionally and more importantly, an SD card with the operating system installed can be used as an emergency startup disk. In the case of a corrupted drive directory structure, this can come in very handy if you find yourself unable to boot your MacBook Pro. For more detailed information on restoring a corrupted drive, read OWC Larry’s article “Resolving System Problems”

So, how do you go about making a bootable SD card? It’s actually quite simple.

To install OS X 10.5, you’ll need at least an 8GB card (There should be smaller space requirement for Snow Leopard, but we won’t know for sure until after its release).

Format the SD card using disk utility. Under the “Partition” tab, highlight the SD card you want to format. Set the card for one partition and Format: Mac OS Extended Journaled. Give the volume a name and click on “Options”. You need to choose GUID partition table in order to boot from the card. Click “Apply” and the drive will be erased and formatted correctly.

Once formatted, use your OS X 10.5 install DVD and run the installer. Select the SD card as the destination. Follow the prompts until you get to the “Install Summary” page.

Choose “customize” on the Install Summary page and uncheck Printer Drives, Additional Fonts, Languages, etc. so all you’re left with is the “Essential System Software” checked. Don’t worry, it should be grayed out as an option that you can’t accidentally uncheck. This will cut the installation space in about 6.2GB from 11.6GB. Click install and let it work. When its done installing it is ready to use. Along with the OS, it is also a good idea to keep a few disk utilities on your emergency startup disk. Just a few we suggest are:

TechTool Pro
DiskWarrior
ProSoft Drive Genius
ProSoft Data Rescue II
File Salvage

To boot exclusively from the SD card, set the SD card as the Startup disk in System Preferences>Startup Disk.

Otherwise, insert the card and hold the option key at startup to manually choose the SD card as your Emergency Startup Disk.

When Apple introduced the MagSafe adapter in 2006, it was kind of a mixed blessing. While the theory behind it is incredibly cool, the fact it is a proprietary connector protected by patents and lawyers means that third-party power adapters aren’t going to be legally seen at reasonable prices any time soon, and Apple’s trend toward integrated batteries means that you can’t hot-swap while on the road if you need to. The only option you have is to buy a second adapter from Apple… until now.

OWC’s happy to announce that we’ve got Apple Genuine 60 Watt MagSafe Power Adapters for MacBook & 13” MacBook Pro and Apple Genuine  45 Watt MagSafe Power Adapters for MacBook Air now in stock.

These are Apple Genuine adapters, not some illegal, unsupported knockoff. While not brand new, these units are in Good condition, have been OWC Tested before shipping and are backed by a 90 Day OWC Warranty for your peace of mind.

If you can use a spare MagSafe adapter, or need a replacement for one gone bad – buying a used adapter from us saves you about $30 bucks off of the cost of a brand new one.

Keep in mind, though, that these adapters are only good for the MacBook/13” MacBook Pro and MacBook Air. They won’t work for the 15” & 17” MacBook Pros. We are currently on working on getting some 85 Watt adapters for those models and we’ll let you know right here on the OWC Blog when we get them in.

In our last installment we visited our findings on the MacBook Pro 17″ model. Logically, we’ll visit the next step down in size.

Installment Two – MacBook Pro 15″

First off, the reduction in starting price from $1999 to $1699 is very exciting, especially when for your $300 ‘discount’ you double the starting memory! The MacBook Pro 15″ now ships with a minimum of 4GB RAM which is easily upgradable to 8GB.

The other major change to the system – Apple has added an SD card reader. Arguably the most popular form of data storage on video cameras, digital cameras, mobile phones, PDAs and GPS receivers; the SD card format is here to stay. I for one couldn’t be happier with this switch from the ExpressCard 34, even if many of my colleagues find they will miss the expandability of the ExpressCard/34 slot. I won’t miss it, and look forward to the advancements in SD cards.

Let’s start with what we’re missing out on with ExpressCard/34. There are several options on the market today for expansion cards. For example, adding more ports to your system. Well, with USB or FireWire, if you need more ports, you can always go with a hub to add more ports, keeping in mind that the more you add to a laptop, the more you have to lug around with you or give up the portability. There are also the myriad of memory card readers, but really there are plenty of USB options on the market and if you happen to use the SD card standard in your devices (as I do), you’re all set. There is also the option of adding eSATA ports to the system, but the main reason for having the port is external storage. Laptops are meant to keep their portability and I for one don’t want to lug around a 4 bay or better RAID 5 storage solution and have to find an unused power outlet every time I want to use it.

Ok, I’ll concede that you can’t beat the benefit to ExpressCard/34 wireless cards for those of you who travel a lot and find yourself in places without WiFi access. I for one, don’t travel that often and my routine takes me from one WiFi hotspot to another.

If you really miss it, we do carry a USB ExpressCard/34 adapter for $9.99

So, what is there to gain with SD?  Simple….. Storage. Nice, light, massively portable storage.

At the time of writing this article, SD and SDHC (high-capacity) are readily available on the market with capacities of up to 4GB and 32GB respectively. While not colossal in size, the SD card can hold several documents or presentations which can then be physically removed from the computer for safekeeping and security. The SD card slot is bootable and an SDHC card could certainly store an operating system and several utilities as an emergency boot disk or even relocate your home folder to the SD card to use as a physical key to your computer.

The 2009 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) however introduced the SDXC format introducing 32GB to 2TB of storage in the same form factor. Kevin Schader, director of communications for the SD Association, recently announced that SDXC cards should be hitting the market in 2010 starting with a 64GB capacity.  I for one can’t wait to see the maximums realized on the SDXC form factor where I can carry around several 2TB SDXC cards with a 300MB/s transfer rate in my pocket.

Upgrades, Upgrades Upgrades…

Ok, now that you’ve decided that this is the machine for you, what can you do to make it better?

The most economical upgrade has always been memory – and OWC has always had you covered there. The 15″ MacBook Pro can support up to 8GB of memory. Ordering the 8GB stock from Apple will cost an additional $1,000 – or- you can get this same memory upgrade separately from OWC for considerably less. We’ll even show you how to install it in our Installation Video Series (the video is not complete at the time of this posting but should be available online within 1-2 weeks).

Our benchmarking on these models is nearly complete (we’re still awaiting the 15″ MacBook Pro 2.66GHz model) and you can see for yourself here just how much faster and more efficient these systems run when given enough memory. Once Snow Leopard is released, were predicting these numbers will really take off between the true 64-bit processing and Grand Central Dispatch.

Additional speed can be gained by upgrading the hard drive to either a 7200RPM model or going to speed and security of a Solid State Drive. Again, the installation instructions will be available within the next few weeks in our Installation Video Series.

As far as the optical drive goes, there isn’t an internal option available that is faster or includes Blu-ray (which we’re still waiting on Apple to support natively) than the 8x slot loading SuperDrive already installed. As technologies advance down the line, you can be sure we’ll be on the cutting edge and will be ready with the units themselves and the video instructions to match.

Well, most of the new MacBook Pro laptops have arrived and we’ve been busy in the lab updating compatibility, fully testing each memory module, and benchmarking the memory in the machines.  I must say, these machines are tight!

I’m going to use a series of three blog posts to review each of the different machines with some of our findings…

Installment One – MacBook Pro 17″

The biggest and baddest of the MacBook Pro line, in short, starts with two ups and one down:

UP - both models have a boost to processor speed over prior generation. (2.8 and 3.06GHz vs. 2.66 and 2.93GHz)

UP – both models have a boost to starting hard drive capacity over prior generation. (500GB 5400RPM standard vs. 320GB 5400RPM)

DOWN – the price starts $300 lower than the prior generation!

Any way you add it up – what a deal.

Some very noteworthy non-changes are in order as well:

ExpressCard/34: Mainly the ExpressCard/34 slot is still present on the 17″ MacBook Pro.  It has been removed from all other MacBook Pro machines and replaced with an SD card slot – but we’ll get into that in further installments.  At this time, if you’re looking to upgrade and are among the single-digit percentage of users (according to Apple) that use ExpressCards, then the 17″ model is the machine you’ll need.  There are ExpressCards to add eSATA capability, additional FireWire 800 or 400 ports, or media readers for compact flash, MMC, Memory Stick, Memory Stick pro, xD cards and others.

Graphics and video: The 17-inch high-resolution LED-backlit glossy widescreen display with support for millions of colors is an absolutely brilliant display.  With a 1920 x 1200 native resolution and up to 2560 x 1600 on an external display, screen real-estate doesn’t become an issue.  If you need more than that – you could always add a USB display adapter or two (or three!) for a plethora of monitor configurations.

Upgrades, Upgrades Upgrades…

Ok, now that you’ve decided that this is the machine for you, what can you do to make it better?

The most economical upgrade has always been memory – and OWC has always had you covered there. The 17″ MacBook Pro can support up to 8GB of memory. Ordering the 8GB stock from Apple will cost an additional $1,000 – or- you can get this same memory upgrade separately from OWC for considerably less.  We’ll even show you how to install it in our Installation Video Series (the installation process is exactly the same as the previous generation MacBook Pro 17″ Early 2009 “Unibody”).

Our benchmarking on these models are now complete and you can see for yourself here just how much faster and more efficient these systems run when given enough memory.  Once Snow Leopard is released were predicting these numbers will really take off between the true 64-bit processing and Grand Central Dispatch.

Additional speed can be gained by upgrading the hard drive to either a 7200RPM model or going to speed and security of a Solid State Drive. Again, the installation instructions for either is available our Installation Video Series.

As far as the optical drive goes, there isn’t an internal option available that is faster or includes Blu-ray (which we’re still waiting on Apple to support natively) than the 8x slot loading SuperDrive already installed.  As technologies advance down the line, you can be sure we’ll be on the cutting edge and will be ready with the units themselves and the video instructions to match.

Apple updated the MacBook “Core 2 Duo: 2.13 13″ (White – Mid-2009) quietly, without as much as a press release. The new model boasts a 45 nm “Penryn” 2.13 GHz Intel “Core 2 Duo” processor (P7450) up from the 2.0GHz previously offered.

Additionally , the new model received a base hard drive upgrade from 120GB to 160GB (5400RPM) and the battery life of the new machine has an estimated 1/2 hour longer runtime. (5 hours up from 4.5 hours of the Early 2009 model*)

Like its predecessor, the Mid-2009 model shares the same white polycarbonate case as the Early 2009 model that it replaced and connectivity is the same as well with AirPort Extreme (802.11a/b/g/n), Gigabit Ethernet, a FireWire “400″ port, two USB 2.0 ports, optical digital audio in/out, and video out capabilities (mini-DVI) that supports an external display.

Other specs on the machine:

• 3 MB shared “on chip” level 2 cache
• 1066 MHz frontside bus
• 2 GB of 800 MHz DDR2 SDRAM (PC2-6400) installed in pairs (two 1 GB modules)
• 160 GB Serial ATA (5400 RPM) hard drive
• 8X DL SuperDrive
• NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics processor (with 256 MB of SDRAM shared with main memory)
• 13.3″ widescreen TFT active-matrix “glossy” display (1280×800 native resolution).

The MacBook 2.0GHz “Unibody” design shares many features internally with the new MacBook “Core 2 Duo: 2.13 13″, is equipped with the same NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics, but uses a faster processor and slower RAM (800 MHz DDR2 compared to 1066 MHz DDR3 in the “Unibody” models).

*Battery life as officially reported by Apple using a “wireless productivity” test.

If you’re tired of waiting for Apple to release a new tablet or can’t find an old Newton, you need not wait anymore. Other World Computing is an exclusive US-based distributor of the Axiotron Modbook, the world’s only Mac-based tablet computer. Now, with new memory and storage upgrade options, plus a $200 price reduction, the Modbook may be just what you’ve been looking for in mobile computing.

Imagine sitting with your coffee at any cafe and drawing or writing directly on a screen, without any keyboard to confound your fingers or slow down your creative vision. This isn’t a fake Mac, but a converted MacBook, so all of your beloved Mac features still exist, including Mac OS X Leopard, a built-in iSight camera, Airport, Bluetooth, and a Dual-Layer SuperDrive. You choose the power configuration from a 2.0GHz to a 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo processor; 2, 4 or 6GB of RAM; and storage capacity from 120GB 5400RPM drive up to a total of 820GB of internal storage capacity. You can even choose 80GB or 160GB SSD (Solid State Drive) technology if you prefer.

Prices start at $1899 for a 13.3″ Modbook OR, if you prefer to BYOB (Bring Your Own Book), you can supply OWC with your own Intel Core 2 Duo MacBook, and for only $1149, OWC can convert your black or white 13″ MacBook via its Modservice. We save you some green too if you use your own Mac OS X 10.5, your existing RAM, and hard drive. If you want us to upgrade any of your internal components during the conversion process, we can do that too.

Click here to check out your Build to Order customized Modbook.

OR

Click here to Bring Your Own Book (BYOB) and convert to a Modbook. We even supply the box and cover shipping costs.

Imagine…a world without keys…where you can write and draw directly on a screen. Modbook is that reality!

May saw a few updates in Apple’s arsenal of products. As a courtesy to our customers and readers, we’ll recap them here with links to pertinent information.

As of May 29th, some Intel-based Mac models have firmware updates available for EFI Boot ROM or SMC firmware (System Management Controller). The most recent updates are for the most recently released products; none of the older Intel-based Macs seem to have updates, yet. According to Apple, Software Update may not alert you that a firmware update is available. Click this page, EFI and SMC firmware updates for Intel-based Macs, and check your firmware version as explained in the support article. Download links and full instructions appear on that page.

Macworld UK reports that the SMC firmware update for 15″ and 17″ MacBook Pro laptops adjusts the behavior of the fan under high workloads. The MacBook Pro SMC Firmware Update 1.3 is available for MacBook (13-inch, Early 2009), MacBook Pro (15-inch, Early 2008), MacBook Pro (17-inch, Early 2008), MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2.4/2.2 GHz), MacBook Pro (17-inch, 2.4 GHz), as detailed on the EFI and SMC firmware updates for Intel-based Macs support page linked above.

If you use Keynote, Numbers, or Pages, then you own iWork. iWork 09 was updated to version 9.0.2 last week. Software Update should alert you to the update, but you can also download it. Apple’s download page simply states that the “update improves reliability when saving some iWork documents and when playing some presentations more than once per Keynote session.”  If you don’t yet own the very useful iWork, you can order it today from OWC.

Another welcome Apple update was a speed bump for a new MacBook. This $999 laptop now includes a 160GB hard drive (up from 120GB) and a respectable 2.13 GHz processor instead of the previous 2.0GHz. The RAM is slightly faster now too, clocking in at 800MHz versus the previous 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM. The Apple Store includes the complete specifications.

We do not endorse, certify, or recommend any of these updates – we’re just keeping you informed!

Don’t forget that you can achieve the best performance for all your Macintosh computers by maxing out the RAM. OWC offers RAM for nearly every model Mac made over the past two decades at very reasonable prices. Please check out our OWC Memory page to find the best memory for your machine.

There are very few certainties in life. Death and taxes are, of course, the most popular, but right up there is the fact that – barring mechanical failure – your hard drive is going to fill up.

With all the music, movies, files and other stuff we tend to collect on our Macs, it really is a matter of time before you start running out of space. While it is fairly simple to gain some more space by cleaning out some of the accumulated junk, sometimes its preferable just to upgrade to a larger hard drive instead.

OWC has instructional videos for replacing the hard drive in a large number of Macs. This week, we’ve added yet another one: The 17″ MacBook Pro (non-unibody). If you’ve been feeling the hard drive pinch, but haven’t yet made the leap, check out the video in our Tech Center or on our YouTube channel, and see how easy it is.

Faster Read/Write to 8X for DVDs, 24X for CDs — Priced from $159.99 Add Latest Optical Drive Performance to Existing MacBook/MacBook Pros

November 25, 2008, Woodstock, IL — Other World Computing (OWC®) http://www.macsales.com, a leading Mac and PC technology company, announced today two new OWC “Mercury” SuperDrive Internal Upgrade Kits for MacBook 13″ and MacBook Pro 15″ pre-Unibody notebook computers.

The new OWC Mercury SuperDrive Internal Upgrades offer faster read/write for DVD+/-R/RW, Dual-Layer DVD, DVD-RAM, and CD-R/RW; with burn speeds of up to 8X for DVDs and 24X for CDs.  OWC Mercury SuperDrive Upgrade Kits provide low-cost options for adding the latest optical drive performance and features to existing MacBook and MacBook Pro computers.

View entire release>>

Greetings again from Woodstock! I think we’ve got a nice variety of information in this newlstter edition and hope you’ll enjoy. Got 6GBs of memory for MacBooks, a new ‘Voyager’ HD Dock, a realworld look at the Unibody MacBooks + lots more in between. Here we go!

Install up to 6.0GB in MacBook & MacBook Pro Core 2 Duos

One of my favorite things to say and show is how more memory really makes the difference. For nearly two years we’ve been working to provide a solution that would allow us to break the 4GB limit in Core 2 Duo Mac models. While we’ve been able to build 4GB DDR2 SO-DIMM 667MHz models for some time, the challenge – or really what ended up being the wait – was for the memory device components that could run at a low power and heat level as to meet specification and provide the reliable operation required of every OWC module.

Newsletter Continues>>

Lower Cost than Factory Options and Now up to 50% More Total Memory!

November 6, 2008, Woodstock, IL — Other World Computing (OWC®) http://www.macsales.com, a leading Mac and PC technology company, announced today new OWC 4GB modules and 6GB Memory Upgrade Sets for MacBook 13″, MacBook Pro 15″, and MacBook Pro 17″ Models, which prior factory and after-market options limited memory to a maximum of 4GB total.

The additional memory provides a significant benefit to users of high-memory intensive applications, such as audio/video, photo, 3D modeling, as well as offering overall system performance benefits.

View entire release>>