iMac 27" on plane?

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iMac 27" on plane?

I'm in US right now, and want to buy a iMac. I'm leaving 31st March to Slovakia my home country. As for the price for iMacs is much better here I want to buy it here. I just want to know if I would run into any problems on airport. I'm flying with KLM Houston-Amsterdam-Vienna. Thanks for everything in advice.

Windows XP

Posted on Mar 27, 2010 7:43 AM

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Answer 1

rkaufmann87

Level 10

148,660 points

Mar 27, 2010 8:38 AM in response to MrAbrman

If you pack it as baggage it should be just fine. Remember to use the original packaging that you received it in, that would provide the best protection. Because we don't have too many people on this forum from Slovakia we have no idea what issues you might run into though. I would recommend contacting KLM and posing your question to them.

Regards,

Roger

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Answer 2

Dah•veed

Level 9

66,781 points

Mar 27, 2010 9:06 AM in response to MrAbrman

If you pack it as baggage it should be just fine. Remember to use the original packaging that you received it in, that would provide the best protection.

Probably not true. Folks with these Macs have reported many of them have arrived from China by air package delivery services and have the glass broken. I seriously doubt that baggage handlers are going to treat it better than a package delivery service.

Dah•veed

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Answer 3

MrAbrman Author

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Mar 27, 2010 10:50 AM in response to MrAbrman

Thanks for the replies. I've been doing some more research and figured out that the stand can be took of. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cmm7jWU-g2s) It would be just great if someone could give me the height and width of the imac screen itself. I found out that the box is 30" wide 24" tall 9" thick and has 42.6lbs and would not fit in my suitcase, also my suitcase has to be <50lbs. so the other thing i want to try is that if I took everything out of the box and gave the screen on a layer of clothing and gave some more clothing or bubble wrap and it would be just fine. Does anyone have a iMac and has the time to measure the width and height. Thanks in advice.

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Answer 4

Mar 27, 2010 3:08 PM in response to MrAbrman

MrAbrman:

If you buy it in the U.S. it may not work in Slovakia--different voltages, etc. What about warranty? Will the warranty be transferable? You're going to take it out of its box and bubble wrap it etc. and think it will not be treated as ordinary luggage. I wish you luck. Whatever you do, please don't try and squeeze it into the overhead bins or take away space from other fliers. The screen is the computer. That's were most of the weight is. Taking the base off? You're buying it new, then taking the base off and then squeezing it into your suitcase. You've voided your warranty with no guarantee that the screen will survive. How are you going to ship the base--in an overnight bag? If you are going to do this, I suggest you find out whether it will work in your country and then find the phone number and the address of the nearest Apple agent and have deep pockets to have it repaired if it's thrashed on flight.

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Answer 5

MrAbrman Author

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Mar 27, 2010 3:30 PM in response to Edward Boghosian

I know that it will work with 220V which is in Slovakia, also removing the stand will not mess up the warranty cause they sell a remover for the stand so you can hang your iMac on the wall, and I would definitely not take room from other flyers cause I will be sitting next to my brother and my parents which are willing to have it. And I don't think i'll have it with me in the plane but I'll have it in the big suitcase as it doesn't fit in the limits to have it as a carry-on luggage and I will not have it in the box they sell it in cause the box doesn't fit in my suitcase. My suitcase is 28" wide the box is 30" wide. so it wouldn't fit. I will boot it up here in US before I take it, I want to be sure everything works before I go to Slovakia, and if it breaks and I still have warranty I can come back to US basically anytime.

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Answer 6

necronym

Level 4

1,434 points

Mar 27, 2010 4:38 PM in response to MrAbrman

I wouldn't risk it in luggage on the plane.

Why not just send it via TNT Express or UPS (or other worldwide courier) to your home address in Slovakia (along with some clothes to help pad out the box). At least a courier service will stow it properly in the hold and if they accept it as FRAGILE, it's a fully insured delivery service.

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Answer 7

MrAbrman Author

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Mar 27, 2010 4:49 PM in response to necronym

I checked UPS and they would do it for 950$, thats more than my plane ticket from slovakia to here and back. In slovakia it would cost same amount but not dollars but euros. But since I already have a plane ticket I want to get most out of it, if you have any other tips please share them with me. Thanks

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Answer 8

Dah•veed

Level 9

66,781 points

Mar 27, 2010 5:39 PM in response to Edward Boghosian

Edward you are talking in error here on a few things!

If you refer to the Specs page for the iMac it is universal. He will however need a plug adapter so he can plug it in.

Electrical and operating requirements
• Line voltage: 100-240V AC
• Frequency: 50Hz to 60Hz, single phase
• Maximum continuous power: 241W (21.5-inch models); 365W (27-inch models)

Also per the Specs, the 27" iMac is VESA compliant, which means that it is designed for removal of the stand without voiding the warranty.

• 27-inch model can be attached to a wall mount, articulating arm, or other VESA-compliant mounting solution using the optional VESA Mount Adapter Kit

The Apple warranty for the iMac has been an Int'l warranty for some time now.

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Answer 9

Dah•veed

Level 9

66,781 points

Mar 27, 2010 5:47 PM in response to MrAbrman

There is a company called iLugger that makes cases and bags for iMacs, Mac Pros and Apple displays. The description for their case for the 27" iMac is that it is heavy duty and can be used for travel. It even has wheels. Can you have more than one suitcase on your flight? This bag costs US$269.00. + tax.

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Answer 10

MrAbrman Author

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Mar 27, 2010 6:05 PM in response to Dah•veed

I'm so thankful for your willingness to help, well I'm leaving in 4 days. And as I was looking at the bag on the website and they have "This is one popular bag... sales have continued to exceed demand. Place your order now and we will ship them in the order they are received, current orders are running approximately 2 months delayed. (due to the volume of orders we cannot guarantee your ship date at this time)" written on the page with the 27" imac case, and the imac box size is much bigger than what I can take, that's why I'm considering taking it in a regular suitcase between some clothing or bubble wrap, also if someone gets jealous they would give me only like 200$ for missing luggage. So it's a big dilemma for me. In slovakia the iMac would not just be hard to get as for there is no Apple store in Slovakia. Except for one company who sells apple products.Also it would cost 130% in Slovakia than the price here. And i don't have that much money. =( I need the big screen for art which is my main study right now. Also I'm 800$ short which my dad will lend me if I'll help him with every design, movie, wallpaper, slideshow or presentation for the next year. That's my situation. =/

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Answer 11

Dah•veed

Level 9

66,781 points

Mar 27, 2010 6:33 PM in response to MrAbrman

Have you considered the smaller 21.5"? Even that is a really large iMac!

I use a Mac mini, which easily fits into a suitcase, and connect it to my 24" LG LDC HDTV.

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Answer 12

MrAbrman Author

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Mar 27, 2010 7:02 PM in response to Dah•veed

I mainly want the 27" iMac cause of it's resolution which is 2560 by 1600 pixels, the screen I use now is 1920x1080 (fullHD) but isn't big enough, and I don't know of any screens that are as big as this, also I need the preformance cause I work with 3D and the more powerful the computer the less I have to wait for render to finish. Right now it last like 30 minutes for one frame to render. I currently have dual core 2,2Ghz with 3GB of ram, and it's far less powerful than what I need. =/

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Answer 13

Macaby

Level 3

923 points

Mar 27, 2010 10:14 PM in response to MrAbrman

MrAbrman wrote:
I checked UPS and they would do it for 950$...

Is that the overnight price? I find it hard to believe you can't ship cheaper than that at a slower pace. Whatever you do, I wouldn't check the box unless the airline will agree to insure it for the full price.

According to the Apple website, the actual size of the 27"er is 26" wide x 21" high (including the stand attached.) If the stand is removed, I'm guessing the screen is only about 18" high and maybe no more than 3" thick (again, stand removed). Total weigh is 31 pounds. IF you could find a suit case that could contain the monitor and you were careful about stowing it on your flight, hand carrying it would be the way to go. Of course, this would mean "tossing" the original box away.

However, seems like a lot of trouble to save some money. Also, depending on where you bought it, you're probably going to have to pay sales tax and in NYC, that's about 10% which will cut into your savings.

And then, there's airport security and the question of whether they will allow it pass their station. That would be a REAL bad place to find out that you can't hand carry it on your flight.

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Answer 14

Steve M.

Level 5

4,758 points

Mar 27, 2010 10:22 PM in response to MrAbrman

I'm just asking this, not to sound discouraging, but what will you do if you need to have your iMac serviced or repaired in Slovakia? It sounds kind of like you are not close to anything Apple over there.

Good luck,
Steve M.

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Answer 15

MrAbrman Author

Level 1

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Mar 27, 2010 10:27 PM in response to Macaby

The original box they sell it in is too big, 30" wide. I'll be looking for a suitcase in the few days that I'm here. If i'll find a suitcase big enough for the box I get it, possibly some carry-on luggage that could fit the screen in it. And I will 100% open it cause some people got a iMac with broken screen right when they got it ordered from apple. I definitely don't want to go through all that at when I open it at home blame them that they broke it or find out that it was broken from the start and I'd have to come back to US to replace it. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

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