Traveling with iMac

April 22, 2008 8:32 AM

MacFilter: How hard is it to travel with a current-gen 20" iMac?

I.e. is the back "arm" detachable? How hard would it be to fit it into my carryon luggage (since I know better than to put something that valuable into checked luggage)? I'm aware that it weighs twenty pounds.

posted by DoctorFedora to computers & internet (12 comments total)

(I don't own one, but I'm considering it)
posted by DoctorFedora at 8:33 AM on April 22

I can't comment on the ease of travel, but the arm is detachable.
posted by sharkfu at 8:41 AM on April 22

Tremendously useful to know. I don't plan on traveling with it regularly, so that comes as rather a relief if I opt to go that path.
posted by DoctorFedora at 8:44 AM on April 22

The back arm is not detachable. Only the 1st gen (G5) iMacs, and current 24" iMacs have detachable stands.

Here's an answer I gave before, linking to yet another, and I've since confirmed that it works; a friend has traveled from NY to CA and back with a 20" iMac, using the CaseAce.
posted by mhz at 8:50 AM on April 22

oh wow-- sorry, doctorfedora. i have a 24" Imac. i assumed it was the same across the entire line.
posted by sharkfu at 8:53 AM on April 22

Well, does the arm at least swing underneath reasonably compact-ly? Like, could it fit into an ordinary backpack?
posted by DoctorFedora at 9:01 AM on April 22

Sitting in front of mine now and no, the stand is definitely not removable. In fact looking at the service manual it appears it requires removal of the entire screen to access the screws that hold it in place (and said removal requires special tools). As for the ability to swing underneath, if facing the side and I have the screen at a direct 90 degree angle, I can swing the screen downwards all of 1 inch before it stops in place.

So I guess it is what it is. And I can't imagine fitting it in a backpack. Now a 24 inch with detached stand in a suitcase might work, but then that's probably more trouble than you're looking for.
posted by genial at 9:10 AM on April 22

Well, that's no good. I'll have to put some more thought into this, then.
posted by DoctorFedora at 9:11 AM on April 22

Well, the stand is 7+ inches deep. The height (including the stand) is 18.5 inches, and the width is about 19. It won't fit into an ordinary backpack, certainly not if you're intending on padding it with any protection for the screen.

Short of the CaseAce GearGrip that I've linked to, there's no easy solution that I know of.
posted by mhz at 9:12 AM on April 22

Definitely won't go into a backpack. I have a 20" iMac G5 at work. Since the arm comes off, it would fit into a large suitcase. But taking it off and putting it back on (even for the G5) is not like a 2 minute thing. More like 10 minutes. At both ends of your travel.

There are cases for the mac mini's. Can you scavenge up monitors at both ends?

Or, um, laptop?
posted by zpousman at 2:15 PM on April 22

This probably sounds snide but it does come in a box designed for shipping. It's probably bigger than you like but is free with purchase. I doubt it will fit in a backpack or be suitable for carry-on.
posted by chairface at 5:13 PM on April 22

The arm is NOT detachable. My brother packed his in the middle of his suit case, surrounded by clothes, and it is now sitting on his desk in London. It's not super portable, but you can certainly travel with it. The thing is damn heavy mind you. As a carry-on I don't think you'll have much luck.
posted by chunking express at 8:59 AM on April 24