[xlostlove777]

This is going to sound very odd, but I just discovered how fairly portable my iMac is, especially if I was to get one of those iLugger's. Now the thing is, I'd like to bring it to some after-school pre-AP exam biology note sessions, so I can just do all my notes right onto the computer. Now I'd rather not go and spend the money on an old iBook(much less Macbook), and plugs are scarce in classrooms. Is there anyone that makes some sort of battery pack I could plug my iMac into?

[Brave Ulysses]

Originally Posted by xlostlove777 This is going to sound very odd, but I just discovered how fairly portable my iMac is, especially if I was to get one of those iLugger's. Now the thing is, I'd like to bring it to some after-school pre-AP exam biology note sessions, so I can just do all my notes right onto the computer. Now I'd rather not go and spend the money on an old iBook(much less Macbook), and plugs are scarce in classrooms. Is there anyone that makes some sort of battery pack I could plug my iMac into?

No. The power requirements are extremely high in comparison to a laptop. You would need the equivalent of a car battery.

As it is, don't you think it would be just a little weird to go into class with giant box in hand and unpack a desktop computer onto your desk?

I lug my iMac around as well, but not in situations like that.

[xlostlove777]

That's dissapointing, but I guess it makes sense, it really isn't meant to be used like that.
And in my class, we've seen and discussed much weirder things, grant you though it would still be weird.

[Brad]

You can get a UPS (un-interruptable power supply), but as Brave Ulysses said, the extra batteries will be the size of automobile batteries. They're big and heavy and expensive. Each of the engineers at my office has his computers on a UPS in case of a power outage, but we're only guaranteed a few minutes of power, long enough to save work and safely shut everything down.

I can't imagine running off of a battery-powered UPS for a very long time. Most server rooms and "100% uptime" services use a diesel-powered generator to keep things running when the mains go down. Batteries are only temporary.

[atomicbartbeans]

Yeah, the iMac core duo's power consumption is about 100 watts. That'd drain a MacBook-sized battery in under an hour... you'd need something like this to power the iMac for a useful lengh of time.

[xlostlove777]

I have a UPS that my Dad got from work, yeah, it's a little to big. I knew it was 100W, but I didn't know how much that is in comparison to the Macbook, I just knew that it was a lot less than my old PC which need about 400W. Thanks everyone.