135633 owc mba ssd 480gb

Expanding on its line of aftermarket solid state drives (SSDs) for the new MacBook Air, Other World Computing today announced that it has added a new 480 GB option to the mix, up from the previous maximum of 360 GB.

Other World Computing today announced its OWC Mercury Aura Pro Express Solid State Drive is now shipping in an industry largest 480GB capacity for all 2010 Apple MacBook Air models. First announced at the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show this past January, the OWC Mercury Aura Pro Express line now offers up to 4X greater capacity and up to 68% faster real-world performance than factory available options.

Pricing for the new 480 GB drive comes in at a hefty $1579.99, but power users looking for large storage capacities in an extremely portable machine may be interested in the options.

Just yesterday, we noted that Ars Technica had posted an extensive installation walkthrough and review of the OWC drives.

Related Roundup: MacBook Air
Buyer's Guide: 13" MacBook Air (Don't Buy)
Related Forum: MacBook Air

Top Rated Comments

Arcady Avatar
Arcady
193 months ago
You can buy this single 480GB drive, or for the same money, twenty 2 terabyte drives.

What a bargain!
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
hithere Avatar
hithere
193 months ago
I remember being asked the question "who needs that much space" also when I bought my first 486 with a 640 MB hard disk.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JesterJJZ Avatar
JesterJJZ
193 months ago
There are a lot of rich people out there...
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ValSalva Avatar
ValSalva
193 months ago
$1579 for an SATA-II drive? Hopefully a Sandy Bridge MacBook Air will be out soon with SATA-III but that is expensive. I wonder how many OWC will sell.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
gglockner Avatar
gglockner
193 months ago
I seriously doubt there are many people willing to pay $1579 for a 480 GB SSD for the MacBook Air. If you're dropping that much money on internal storage, you're probably better served by a MacBook Pro.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ciTiger Avatar
ciTiger
193 months ago
More expensive than buying another MBA. Dang are people really willing to pay this much????
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Read All Comments

Popular Stories

Apple Logo Zoomed

Tim Cook Teases Plans for Apple's Upcoming 50th Anniversary

Thursday February 5, 2026 12:54 pm PST by
Apple turns 50 this year, and its CEO Tim Cook has promised to celebrate the milestone. The big day falls on April 1, 2026. "I've been unusually reflective lately about Apple because we have been working on what do we do to mark this moment," Cook told employees today, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. "When you really stop and pause and think about the last 50 years, it makes your heart ...
Read Full Article • 148 comments
wwdc sans text feature

Apple Rumored to Announce New Product on February 19

Thursday February 5, 2026 12:22 pm PST by
Apple plans to announce the iPhone 17e on Thursday, February 19, according to Macwelt, the German equivalent of Macworld. The report, citing industry sources, is available in English on Macworld. Apple announced the iPhone 16e on Wednesday, February 19 last year, so the iPhone 17e would be unveiled exactly one year later if this rumor is accurate. It is quite uncommon for Apple to unveil...
Read Full Article
Finder Siri Feature

Why Apple's iOS 26.4 Siri Upgrade Will Be Bigger Than Originally Promised

Friday February 6, 2026 3:06 pm PST by
In the iOS 26.4 update that's coming this spring, Apple will introduce a new version of Siri that's going to overhaul how we interact with the personal assistant and what it's able to do. The iOS 26.4 version of Siri won't work like ChatGPT or Claude, but it will rely on large language models (LLMs) and has been updated from the ground up. Upgraded Architecture The next-generation...
Read Full Article • 154 comments
iOS 26

iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Tuesday February 3, 2026 7:47 am PST by
While the iOS 26.3 Release Candidate is now available ahead of a public release, the first iOS 26.4 beta is likely still at least a week away. Following beta testing, iOS 26.4 will likely be released to the general public in March or April. Below, we have recapped known or rumored iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 features so far. iOS 26.3 iPhone to Android Transfer Tool iOS 26.3 makes it easier...
Read Full Article • 37 comments
maxresdefault

Apple Shows Off a Key Reason to Upgrade to the iPhone 17

Saturday February 7, 2026 9:26 am PST by
Apple today shared an ad that shows how the upgraded Center Stage front camera on the latest iPhones improves the process of taking a group selfie. "Watch how the new front facing camera on iPhone 17 Pro takes group selfies that automatically expand and rotate as more people come into frame," says Apple. While the ad is focused on the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, the regular iPhone...
Read Full Article • 79 comments