MCE OptiBay, 2nd Internal Hard Drive, Now Shipping for MacBook Pro 15-inch and MacBook


IRVINE, CA, January 5, 2007 – MCE Technologies, LLC (MCE) today announced it is now shipping a new version of the OptiBay Hard Drive designed specifically for MacBook Pro 15-inch and MacBook systems. The MCE OptiBay optical bay hard drive is a second internal hard drive for MacBook Pro, MacBook, and PowerBook G4 systems, taking the place of the laptop’s internal optical drive (SuperDrive or Combo Drive). The MCE OptiBay Hard Drive is available in capacities up to 160GB, for the first time allowing up to an unprecedented 360GB of unformatted internal hard disk capacity in MacBook Pro or MacBook systems and up to 320GB of internal storage in PowerBook G4 systems.

The MCE OptiBay Hard Drive has the same physical dimensions and data-connectivity as a standard internal optical drive however it is recognized by the machine as a standard hard drive. All initialization, partitioning, and even RAID setup is managed by Apple’s Disk Utility program. In its simplest configuration, the OptiBay Hard Drive can be set up as a single volume for up to an additional 160GB of general storage space. In more advanced configurations, OptiBay Hard Drive users can take advantage of many features not readily available on an Apple laptop such as the ability to create high-performance RAID 0 (striped) or RAID 1 (mirrored) configurations using entirely onboard hard drives. The onboard drives can also be combined so they appear to the system to be one very large hard drive..

“When we announced the OptiBay Hard Drive for the PowerBook G4 and MacBook Pro 17-inch an immediate outcry was heard from MacBook Pro 15-inch and MacBook owners for an OptiBay for their systems, as well,” stated Arnold Ramirez, president of MCE. “We are very pleased to announce that we are now shipping OptiBay Hard Drives designed for these computer models.”

The MCE OptiBay Hard Drives feature rotational speeds of 5400RPM, with 7200RPM mechanisms available at certain capacities. Like the internal hard drive, the OptiBay Hard Drive responds to S.M.A.R.T. status monitoring by the Mac OS to help forewarn of impending disk failure. Battery life of the laptop is typically affected by only 10 to 15 percent as power consumption and current draw fall below that of the original optical drive and is helped even further by advanced power management built into each OptiBay drive.

Because the internal optical drive of the MacBook Pro 15-inch and MacBook are non-industry standard mechanisms they cannot be converted to an external drive. For this reason, MCE provides those users the option of getting 1) a complete 8X SuperDrive with double layer recording, 2) a complete 16X Desktop DVD Burner with double layer , or 3) no optical drive in case they already own one. The external 8X and 16X optical drives can be used to install software, boot the system, and is compatible with iTunes, iDVD, and Finder Burning for burning CDs and DVDs.

Suggested retail pricing for the MCE OptiBay Hard Drive including a complete 8X SuperDrive + Double Layer support is $329 for an 80GB/5400RPM drive, $359 for a 100GB/5400RPM drive, $409 for a 120GB/5400RPM drive, $479 for a 160GB/5400RPM drive, and $459 for a 100GB/7200RPM drive. Add $20 for the complete 16X Desktop SuperDrive + Double Layer and subtract $100 if no drive is needed. All models include the MCE OptiBay Hard Drive, installation instructions, installation toolkit, and owner’s manual. The OptiBay Hard Drive comes with a three-year warranty. More information may be found online at www.mcetech.com/optibay.

MCE Technologies is a leader in the development of innovative storage peripherals and accessories for the Apple Macintosh platform and markets a wide range of Macintosh related products and solutions to distributors, dealers and end users. MCE is based in Irvine, California and can be reached by telephone at (800) 5000-MAC (800-500-0622) in the U.S. or at (949) 458-0800 internationally. More information about products by MCE Technologies can be found on the Internet at www.mcetech.com.


Press Contact:

Ben Perez
MCE Technologies
(949) 458-0800
ben@mcetech.com

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