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See the original image at engadget.com —

TSA can't believe MacBook Air is a real laptop, causes owner

engadget.com — The TSA has been known to take issue with products designed in Cupertino before, but for one particular traveler, it was Apple's thinnest laptop ever that caused the latest holdup.

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  • prgmctan, on 03/11/2008, -5/+166"Apparently, the TSA employee manning the line was flabbergasted by the 'lack of a drive' and the complete absence of "ports on the back," and while hordes of co-workers swarmed to investigate..."

    This kind of makes it sound fake. If it's true though, what is this world coming to?
    • OBDriftwood, on 03/11/2008, -6/+77Even without the drive and ports, it is possible that the MacBook Air contained more than 3 ounces of liquid. Thank you TSA, for continuing to keep us safe from non-existent threats by following arbitrary regulations.
      • DMCer, on 03/11/2008, -16/+1nonexistent? are you stupid? of course their rules are arbitrary, but they're better than nothing.
        • dunk71, on 03/11/2008, -3/+4OBDriftwood has a point in as much as the 3 (isn't it actually 4?) ounces of liquid rule protects nobody from anything, as travelers are allowed to carry a number of different containers in their cabin baggage which could then be combined on board the flight, or even in the airport restrooms once you've passed the TSA check point (shhh!!! Don't tell those dumbass terrorists... They haven't worked it out yet!). In fact, most of the TSA security checks are easily bypassed if you have the desire to do so. Which means that the TSA checks are for what?
        • Tippis, on 03/11/2008, -5/+6Yes, nonexistent. The threat supposedly posed by being able to carry liquids on board was thoroughly debunked by chemists within days after the idea was first cooked up.
        • cawpin, on 03/11/2008, -2/+4Tippis - No it wasn't because it is very possible to make a big boom with a very small amount of liquid. I've done it. The threat is still basically nonexistent and the "rule" is ridiculous.
          • daverave999, on 03/11/2008, -1/+1Specifics please? Something not stable enough to actually carry on board or just something that wouldn't get past the explosives sniffer?
          • dunk71, on 03/11/2008, -1/+1@ daverave999: Explosive sniffers can be pretty ineffectual with some substances. I went through sniffer and swab procedures at London Heathrow, LAX, and Will Roger's and they all failed to detect that I'd been handling C-4 (though I wasn't actually carrying any, of course). It was pre-9/11, but the security was supposedly pretty tight anyway.
          • daverave999, on 03/12/2008, -1/+1Fair play then. I was under the impression that the sniffers generally looked for some kind of nitro group, and nobody in their right mind would be carrying liquid organic peroxides, so assumed that all the liquids I was aware of would be one of the two. If the sniffers work differently or I'm simply wrong, I bow to your experience!
          • daverave999, on 03/12/2008, -1/+1[Damn 2 minute limit] I recall it was claimed they were intending to synthesise the explosive on board, perhaps this was what was debunked? I'm not really interested enough to go look it up...
      • bosssmiley, on 03/11/2008, -3/+1If you have enough arbitrary rules you don't *need* common-sense.
        • cawpin, on 03/11/2008, -1/+2That's part of the problem. I don't want dumbasses sitting next to me.
    • kinseyincanada, on 03/11/2008, -8/+30well not everybody follows tech industry so think about it from their perspective, the probably see 100's of laptops a day and then one comes along that looks completely different, and in this day and age they would probably stop the person and want to look at it.
      • JustinBaglo, on 03/11/2008, -4/+43My god, what would they think if they saw a *tablet* pass by?! No keyboard=terrorist!!
        • drlha, on 03/11/2008, -1/+9Nobody owns a tablet PC though, so that's not going to happen.
        • BadassCheese, on 03/11/2008, -0/+2But it would look similar in the x-ray. It would have a hard-disk and all.
          • JustinBaglo, on 03/11/2008, -0/+1I'll betcha this Macbook Air had a hard disk. It's a thousand dollar upgrade to the smaller flash drive, and the article just mentioned "lack of a drive", it didn't specify which one.
      • mal1964, on 03/11/2008, -6/+4They don't have to know anything about it, they sent it though the machine and see its not a bomb and that's it. that's why the story is *****.
        • smurfsahoy, on 03/11/2008, -0/+8Uh the point is that they DONT know it isnt a bomb.
        • s1mph0ny, on 03/11/2008, -0/+3It has a lithium battery in it, and is therefor perfectly describable as a bomb. The TSA acted correctly in waiting until the unit could be correctly identified as a "safe" bomb before clearing it for the flight. It's only unfortunate that the workers are so inept to not know a fairly acclaimed piece of equipment.
      • antdude, on 03/11/2008, -3/+6Apple TV ads.?
        • bjornski, on 03/11/2008, -2/+4No *****, I can't find a station to watch that isn't playing that damned commercial 8 times an hour. If you haven't seen the ***** commercial, you don't have a TV.

          2nd most annoying commercial on TV, ranking right behind the Rhapsody commercial.

          I never, EVER want to hear that song, or artist, ever again.
          • ryansmith18, on 03/11/2008, -2/+1I'm not gonna write you a love song...
          • Ndiggnation, on 03/11/2008, -0/+3Thanks for bringing that up, now that song is in my head again.
    • ezco506th, on 03/11/2008, -15/+4Meanwhile as he is detained several suspicious people run through undetected while carrying a toe nail clipper, large bottles of shampoo and conditioner, a few lighters with cigarettes, and several of those tiny swiss army knives. He was probably a diversion tactic to allow these obvious doers of evil to pass by...

      This would make for a good SNL skit.... I think I will submit it.
    • sockpuppets, on 03/11/2008, -5/+44This guy had other obvious suspicious issues about him- his airport was 802.11G but his destination was 802.11B.
      • Chongo, on 03/11/2008, -13/+2your a regular Rodney Dangerfield
        • septicmadman, on 03/11/2008, -14/+7You're* you douchebag
        • Myonosken, on 03/11/2008, -0/+3Ok septic, time out mister!
        • Chongo, on 03/12/2008, -0/+1personally I liked sock's joke, I was merely trying to be funny as well. Hopefully Septic will pull the cold hard steel of his .357 out of his mouth long enough to give me a second chance.
    • Laminarcissus, on 03/11/2008, -14/+5I'm really glad Apple's PR agency is out there to police the TSA. If it weren't for them, we'd never know about these things. Once again, truth and justice are upheld by the totally authentic and not in the least bit contrived astroturfing of Apple's PR agency.
    • gquaglia, on 03/11/2008, -1/+24The world is full of stupid people my friend. And many of them work for the government.
      • TecK415, on 03/11/2008, -0/+4*Most of them work for the government.
      • designerutah, on 03/11/2008, -0/+1"Never underestimate human stupidity."
        -Robert A. Heinlein
    • mal1964, on 03/11/2008, -16/+7Fake!
      Business travelers never check their bag.
      There are to many errors, I don't even want to type them all.
      If anyone in here travels for business you must know its *****

      • butterz, on 03/11/2008, -4/+9I totally agree. This sounds fake and is either an apple ad plug or just a bulls**t story.
      • sputza, on 03/11/2008, -1/+16You moron. It was in his carry on bag. He was questioned about the Macbook Air by the security personal during his search to get to the secure terminal. Nobody checks their laptop in their luggage.
      • mal1964, on 03/11/2008, -6/+2March 6 is a Thursday, not a huge business traveling day. so it would be a one day trip you would think. So a business traveler checks his bag, with one days worth of clothes?
      • Kanidia, on 03/11/2008, -2/+1Why not?
      • Kelmon, on 03/11/2008, -1/+2You don't travel much, do you? I've had my carry-on laptop checked several times by airport security. Actual tests performed vary but generally they are happy if you can turn it on and prove that it's a working laptop, which is all that should have been needed here. My main computer is a MacBook Pro and, as with the MacBook Air, it'll wake from sleep instantly and go back to sleep in a few seconds. This whole thing should have been sorted out in 30-seconds so I don't know what the issue was here.
    • ckhw2, on 03/11/2008, -0/+25The hard drive is one of the most visible components of a laptop in X-ray. The big metallic cylinders show up clearly in black. I guess it's one of the confirmations that they use to ensure that a laptop is a laptop.
      • Myonosken, on 03/11/2008, -0/+1Suppose they don't realise you could just slot one of those in the middle of your bomb somewhere.
        • BadassCheese, on 03/11/2008, -0/+3Stop giving the terrorists ideas!
    • chilipeppers4u, on 03/11/2008, -0/+8Drives and ports are actually pretty obvious on an x-ray of a laptop. It's probably one of the things they look at to make sure it's a genuine.
      http://www.flickr.com/photos/21338668@N07/22319459 ...
    • TheWindBlows, on 03/11/2008, -5/+2has anyone thought it could be a Solid State Drive and thats why they didn't notice it...
    • furui, on 03/11/2008, -5/+6Doubt this is true. There are several inconsistencies.
      1) The writer claims that he has adapted a routine. Why then:
      a) Has he not mentioned he misses flights often? I mean, if he runs through security and a 15-30 minute delay causes him to miss his flight, then he must be missing flights pretty often.
      b) Has he kept "his MacBook Air" in his bag? If he has flown so many times to develop a normal routine, then he would know that it is required that you remove your laptop computer and place it in the bin separate of your baggage at all major airports.
      2) On the airport X-Ray, my MacBook Pro shows no detail to discern what parts are inside other than boards and hard electronics like the DVD burner. There is no way the writer could have discerned between a SSD drive and a laptop hard drive. He couldn't have pointed out anything on the display in precise detail without being on the side of the conveyor belt where security "was". And, this would be off limits as it poses a high security threat.
      I could go on. It's just a sensationalist piece; it's not even a very well written one.
      • Kelmon, on 03/11/2008, -0/+5Not sure if it is the same in the US but it is true that you always have to place your laptop in a separate tray when it goes through X-Ray in European airports and the ones in Japan and Hong Kong. If security are at all concerned then starting it up is all that is required. So, yes, I agree with you that this a ***** article. Either that or the TSA are just unbelievably stupid.
        • Tippis, on 03/11/2008, -0/+3"I agree with you that this a ***** article. Either that or the TSA are just unbelievably stupid."
          One does not exclude the other...
      • Vohu, on 03/11/2008, -0/+1Yes, you can see a hard drive on an airport checkpoint x-ray (I know from experience as a former TSO). Whether the operator knows it is a hard drive is the real question (some will, but they are a very small minority and those officers don't stick around long).
  • surfing, on 03/11/2008, -10/+64he should have gotten to the airport sooner.
    • Revolution101, on 03/11/2008, -8/+11it's not his fault tsa recruits from the rejected mcdonalds applicants.
      • schlef, on 03/11/2008, -4/+1You're an ass. Just because someone doesn't know all the cool technology that you do, does not mean that you can treat them like garbage. I don't like the lines and yes, they do some weird stuff, but they are honestly trying to do their job. But keep talking from behind your keyboard, the thing about the internet is there is always someone listening.
        • blup3ace, on 03/11/2008, -0/+1when there's a job so critical for the security of our country, it sure does help to have some knowledgeable people leading and conducting the operations.
    • Taquoshi, on 03/11/2008, -3/+1A MacBook Air is a perfectly legal computer. Why should he have to get to the airport sooner because the TSA agents didn't recognize it? It's not like the computer hasn't been advertised all over the place.

      I got stopped once while carrying homeopathic remedies. Fortunately for me, the agent at the next station knew what they were and I was allowed through. Who'd a thunk it, particularly since I was returning home from my destination?
  • sethzane, on 03/11/2008, -12/+96More free advertisement for apple...simply brilliant!
    • d3lta, on 03/11/2008, -9/+51Everything related to Apple is simply brilliant. Just the other day I was having breakfast with an Apple employee and she ordered an onion and cream-cheese bagel with her coffee and I just sat there and thought to myself "Wow, that is brilliant! Thanks Apple!"
    • timisondigglol, on 03/11/2008, -2/+4I was just going to mention this. I suspect this is a form of viral marketing... not a real article. But who knows...internet blogs can't be paid off and are reliable right?
    • jim1977, on 03/11/2008, -1/+2It could possibly counteract all the bad - and somehow forgotten - publicity they got from when people weren't allow to take their laptops on flights because they kept catching fire.

      http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=apple+fire+batter ...
    • sagat, on 03/11/2008, -0/+3Yes brilliant, I am so happy that such a massive corporation is getting free advertising and millions more dollars, it really is the highlight of my day /sarcasm
    • ladbroke, on 03/11/2008, -0/+2I can see it now. Introducing MacBook Air: Terrifyingly Thin.
  • wonderchemist, on 03/11/2008, -3/+22Makes me almost want to cart out my Mac SE/30 and backpack next time just to see what happens.... almost...
    • stalefries, on 03/11/2008, -1/+4What about the backpack made out of a Mac SE?
    • Taquoshi, on 03/11/2008, -1/+1Great vintage!!!!! You could say it was a historical artifact when they try to seize it!
  • dpowre, on 03/11/2008, -21/+8video of the incident: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7AWw7t5zj0
    • clak, on 03/11/2008, -4/+2Oh God! Next time just Rick Roll us, why don't you. Anything, but this!
    • BinaryFragger, on 03/11/2008, -2/+5This stopped being funny a long time ago.
    • bjornski, on 03/11/2008, -0/+2I'd never seen that one. That's actually pretty funny.
  • markus941, on 03/11/2008, -7/+98For anyone who's ever dealt with the TSA this should come as no surprise. Ah, the illusion of safety.
    • superkendall, on 03/11/2008, -5/+14Why does it make you feel LESS safe to have them pull aside things they do not understand rather than just saying (oh well, a laptop with nothing inside that laptops typically have, guess I'll just let that through then).

      To me the silly part is that they didn't understand the explanations, but I'm actually surprised they made the effort. That's a GOOD thing.
      • dood, on 03/11/2008, -1/+12It makes me feel significantly less safe precisely because they are wasting their time on things like this. If I were a bad guy, I would look at that and realize that they do not believe that the x-ray machine is a valid test, and yet they allow most stuff through it unmolested. That's useful information.

        Besides, I'd be more worried about an attack on the line before the screeners, where way more than a planeful of people are waiting, largely due to TSA's nonsense.
    • SoxSweepAgain, on 03/11/2008, -3/+5The TSA is essentially a useless institution.
    • Ghiren, on 03/11/2008, -3/+16The TSA is proof of Benjamin Franklin's famous quote. We have given up a little privacy in the hope of getting a little security and we now have neither.
    • ChromaVita, on 03/11/2008, -1/+2For the record, Illusions of safety is a really good CD.
    • slvrbullet87, on 03/11/2008, -0/+1Am i the only one who doesnt have a problem with these guys? I fly 3 or 4 times a year, and i have been pulled aside and wanded, i have had my bag searched, and i am yet to have a serrious problem with it because it only takes about 5 minutes and doesnt really effect my travel.
  • SexyJenJen, on 03/11/2008, -9/+260The editors of the Gadget blogs just make this ***** up.
    Next headline: Man Mistakenly Wipes Ass with MacBook Air, He Thought it was Toilet Paper
    • wontstoptalking, on 03/11/2008, -1/+88Man Chops Head Off with MacBook Air, Didn't Know How Amazingly Thin It Is.
      • sockpuppets, on 03/11/2008, -2/+147I glue 4 together and then shave with them. I call it the MacBook Air Fusion Power Phenom.™
        • alenox, on 03/11/2008, -2/+14this comment WINS
        • TheMidnight, on 03/11/2008, -7/+2I glue five together. More blades work better--any razor marketing executive can tell you that. It's called the MacBook Air Quadro Titanium for Sensitive Skin.
          • sockpuppets, on 03/11/2008, -0/+6Quad = four, not five- and the product is actually spelled Quattro. ;)
          • isaactwito, on 03/11/2008, -1/+2Easy fix, five + titanium = pentanium. So you have the Apple MacBook Air Pentanium for Sensitive Skin.
          • booshack, on 03/11/2008, -0/+9OKAY YOU KILLED IT
    • Urkel, on 03/11/2008, -0/+2It's ironic that you were so close in that prediction because the next day article was "Mac accidentally throws away super thin Macbook Air because it's so thin and sexy"

      The sad part is that people actually fall for this garbage.
  • Gabberwok, on 03/11/2008, -8/+2He probably could have just put it in one of those lead foil film pouches and the TSA wouldn't even notice it.
    • Jonsey, on 03/11/2008, -0/+11Xrays wouldn't pass through lead and therfore they'd see a solid item on the screen.. so I'm sure theyd check it out... otherwise I'm sure terrorists would be wrapping their guns in lead.
      • Gabberwok, on 03/11/2008, -0/+3People use lead foil pouches for film all the time going through security. You couldn't fit a gun in one.
      • Taquoshi, on 03/11/2008, -0/+1Sure you could. I've seen and fired a few that were small enough to fit in the palm of my hand, which measures 6" from the top of my wrist to the tip of my middle finger. A well placed .22 can do just as much damage as a .357.

        And anyway, why would someone have to put a legitimate computer into a lead bag just to get pass the TSA? Pretty soon, people won't fly at all since they ban more than 4 ozs of fluid, pens, water bottles, shoes, and anything else that strikes their fancy. Now, it's lap tops?

        Corporations are hiring private jets to fly their employees to sites, it's easier, quicker, and sometimes costs alot less than hassling with the TSA.
  • jmpeagle, on 03/11/2008, -0/+90uh, horrible artcile...it reads like an advertisements. Did anyone else notice no proper nouns besides the product's existed in the article. No mention of which airport or even the supposed passenger etc...
    • heliox, on 03/11/2008, -0/+76FTA:
      "...Apple's thinnest laptop..."
      "...ultra-sleek slab of aluminum..."
      "...TSA employee manning the line was flabbergasted..."
      "...co-workers swarmed..."

      Yeah...it was an ad.
    • TnTBass, on 03/11/2008, -0/+1You sneaky bastards!
    • ThreeDee912, on 03/12/2008, -0/+1Engadget links to the source, so it's not adverspam, more like blogspam.
  • smacksaw, on 03/11/2008, -7/+71Ok...Captain Obvious here, but did anyone think TO TURN IT ON???
    • d3lta, on 03/11/2008, -2/+14thats a great idea, why don't you try turning something on in front of the TSA
      • superkendall, on 03/11/2008, -0/+13They ask you to normally if they don't know what it is (or they used to). I always travelled with stuff charged so I could turn it on if needed.
      • smacksaw, on 03/11/2008, -1/+1I'm on the TSA's ***** list, so I turn my phones and laptops on for them EVERY SINGLE TIME.
    • handsoffme, on 03/11/2008, -2/+7did anyone thing to RTFA?
      • smacksaw, on 03/11/2008, -0/+3As far as turning it on goes, the entire article is:

        "The TSA has been known to take issue with products designed in Cupertino before, but for one particular traveler, it was Apple's thinnest laptop ever that caused the latest holdup. Upon tossing his ultra-sleek slab of aluminum underneath the scanner, security managed to find enough peculiarities to remove it from the flow, pull it aside and wrangle up the owner for some questions. Apparently, the TSA employee manning the line was flabbergasted by the "lack of a drive" and the complete absence of "ports on the back," and while hordes of co-workers swarmed to investigate, the user's flight took off on schedule. Thankfully, said owner was finally allowed to pass through after some more in-the-know colleagues explained in painfully simple terms what an SSD was, but the poor jet-setter most definitely paid the price for trying to slip some of the latest and greatest under the sharp eyes of the TSA (and cutting it close on time, of course)."

        Just wondering what part of the article specified it was turned on to show TSA.
        • j0nnyDiGITAL, on 03/11/2008, -0/+1"The senior agent hasn't been trained for technological change. New products on the market? They haven't been TSA approved. Probably shouldn't be permitted. He requires me to open the "device" and run a program. I do, and despite his inclination, the lead agent decides to release me and my troublesome laptop."
          Near the bottom. Next time RTFA.
          http://www.michaelnygard.com/blog/2008/03/steve_jo ...
      • Tippis, on 03/11/2008, -0/+1See, this is the problem with blogspam: it wasn't in TFA - only in the *actual* story that they inadeqately linked to.
    • branjb, on 03/11/2008, -0/+20That might blow it up.
    • megarobotguy, on 03/11/2008, -0/+3And get tasered?
    • poordavey, on 03/11/2008, -0/+2RTFA - skip through engadget spam to the actual article.
    • TapiocaMilkTea, on 03/11/2008, -0/+1Look, this is not a gun, (takes out gun-like looking object), see? Look inside, this is not where you think a bullet will come out. Meanwhile I will pull this trigger to prove that nothing will happen.
  • bxblox, on 03/11/2008, -5/+35*****
    • blup3ace, on 03/11/2008, -0/+1they should have executed him on the spot.
  • Subriot, on 03/11/2008, -0/+171This wouldn't have happened if it was hidden inside a manila folder.
  • displaced1, on 03/11/2008, -20/+3But will it blend?
    • tehdinosaurs, on 03/11/2008, -0/+7I wish your comment would blend.
  • blitzkrieg047, on 03/11/2008, -0/+8Nope, thats not biased at all.
  • vicgp3, on 03/11/2008, -0/+15Its a new soul that came into this strange world. it just learned a bit about how to give and take.
  • hollywoodphony, on 03/11/2008, -2/+10That's millions of dollars in free advertising, right there.
  • heliox, on 03/11/2008, -0/+32I've taken stuff (as I am sure hundreds do a day) through security that TSA have no idea what it is. I tell them what it is. They swab it. I'm on my way. 3 minutes tops.
    Sounds like publicity story.
    • superkendall, on 03/11/2008, -0/+6That's what I was thinking, nowadays if they think something is odd they just swab it, possibly run it through again, and you are done.

      At least in the US. Now if you are overseas, all kinds of comedic things can happen including a hand search of your bag that might not leave everything intact (or just present).
  • bingobongony, on 03/11/2008, -15/+10Maybe they just have a no pompous arrogant virgins policy.

    But it is nice to see that Apple actually sold one. Maybe their stock can bounce back now and be only down 40% for the year.
  • whodoes, on 03/11/2008, -1/+22I really do love the story (bogus fan-boy bilge water or not), but... it also sounds like the passenger must have been cutting it REALLY close. I just dont imagine (in this particular scenario) that the TSA wasted more than 10-15 minutes of this travelers time . If you leave no room for anything to go wrong at the airport you are practically begging the universe to smite you.
    • MacMan88, on 03/11/2008, -0/+1murphy's law ftw?
    • ryryindo, on 03/11/2008, -0/+1it's TSA....
      anything can happen
    • ThreeDee912, on 03/12/2008, -0/+1Engadget links to the source, so it's not fanboyspam, more like blogspam.
  • brucebeh, on 03/11/2008, -2/+20haha, comment from another engadget user..

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7AWw7t5zj0 (not rick rolled)
    • DarkDx, on 03/11/2008, -8/+2Never gonna give you up
      Never gonna let you aboard
      Never gonna run around you and help you
      Never gonna make you fly, never gonna say "I fly!"
      Never gonna tell okay and let you
      • KirbyMeister, on 03/11/2008, -1/+2Win comment is win, why are you getting dugg down?
    • Schmich, on 03/11/2008, -0/+3It's the first time I see that "high quality" feature on Youtube. Is it new or is this some sort of a special video?
  • OverlordXenu, on 03/11/2008, -17/+13That's what he gets for getting a useless piece of crap.
    • SoxSweepAgain, on 03/11/2008, -3/+11Agreed. Sorry, but agreed. I know people love their Apples, but I am a heretic. Don't like 'em, never have.
      Go ahead and Undigg me.
    • designerutah, on 03/11/2008, -1/+0"Useless piece of crap" just means you're not bright enough to know what to do with it. We're sorry... maybe some hunk of lead by Dell would suit you better?
      • OverlordXenu, on 03/12/2008, -0/+1I have no need for a laptop. My WinMo pdaphone does everything I need on the go. Email, document editing, VNC, web browsing, etc. If I ever had a need for a laptop, small or otherwise, it would be a Thinkpad. They are indestructible (Magnesium alloy is stronger than Aluminum), look nice (remember beauty is subjective, I love Lenovo's designs and find nearly everything Apple produces ugly and childish, aside from the Mac Pro), have the best keyboard of any laptop (which isn't saying much), and my friends and brothers have them and love them.

        As for Desktops? I build my own. What's an hour out of my day to order parts and put together a PC, saving a substantial amount of money, compared to prebuilts. And I can run any OS I want to. XP, Vista, OS X, Linux, etc. Most of my computers run either XP or Linux, but my main PC has Vista for DX10.

        The MBA is so underpowered and lacks so many essential amenities (ports, WAN, etc.) it IS just a useless piece of crap. It is for hipsters and Macfags to show off at Starbucks while they drink ***** coffee.

        Your undeveloped insult shows your obvious lack of intellect. I don't think you should be talking.
  • tehdinosaurs, on 03/11/2008, -3/+29"TSA can't believe MacBook Air is a real laptop, causes owner..."
    to explode/implode? yell and go crazy in the airport?! The suspense is killing me!

    *reads original article*

    Oh, he just missed his flight. How boring.
    • ayeroxor, on 03/11/2008, -0/+3Submitter is a complete ***** for that title.
  • woofers07, on 03/11/2008, -3/+8Okay, I new TSA agents weren't the sharpest tools in the shed, but apparently they recruit them from a shed in a cave with no TV and communication to the outside world. Seriously how could you not have seen damn commercial by now?
    • SoxSweepAgain, on 03/11/2008, -1/+6I think the article's a plant, but the TSA recruits from the fast-food and housekeeping industries.
    • TheMidnight, on 03/11/2008, -2/+3The MacBook Air is sharper than any TSA employee...
    • ryryindo, on 03/11/2008, -0/+1innaccurate!
      last line of the article says: "...trying to slip some of the latest and greatest under the sharp eyes of the TSA...."

      they're sharp man! sharp!
    • TheKage, on 03/11/2008, -0/+1knew*
  • djdingo, on 03/11/2008, -1/+15Can't get your MacBook Air through TSA? The terrorists have already won!
  • navghtivs, on 03/11/2008, -1/+62TSA: My tax money pretends to be at work.
    // I am a pilot, I hate TSA more than passengers do.
    • rmw132, on 03/11/2008, -15/+3Geeze, you sound angry. Did you take flight lessons in Florida?
    • Dgen_X, on 03/11/2008, -0/+2The only TSA worker I've ever met looked to be in his early thirties, could not speak English properly, had trouble understanding what a digital camera was, and looked like he had braces put in the day before.
      It wasn't a good experience.
    • Vohu, on 03/11/2008, -1/+1Don't worry, navghtivs, the TSA agents who deal with you hate you just as much. Some of the biggest assholes during my stint as a TSO were airline pilots and crew members. They'd go out of there way to be dicks and hold up the lines, then get all pissy when something didn't go their way. One TSO even on a checkpoint got assaulted by airline pilot (CCTV shows the pilot attacked her). Most were great, but you don't remember the easy going ones.
  • sjps220, on 03/11/2008, -2/+9I hope there are more front page articles on items that seem suspicious to TSA agents.
    • bjornski, on 03/11/2008, -0/+2I don't want to see front page articles about fingernail clippers and bottles of water.
      • sjps220, on 03/12/2008, -0/+1Don't worry. The fingernail clipper manufacturers don't have enough fanboys to get the amount of free publicity that Apple gets from digg.
  • Skeev, on 03/11/2008, -2/+5do these people live under a rock
  • bjs3171, on 03/11/2008, -0/+3couldn't he just, like, open a folder or something?
  • sonicularulus, on 03/11/2008, -0/+11like cavemen discovering fire...
  • XedLos, on 03/11/2008, -11/+2What he bought the SSD he must be pretty rich so i don't care if he lost his flight
    • atbnet, on 03/11/2008, -1/+2That's a great reason to hate someone. Maybe his company bought it for him.

      Think before you post. Then think again.
    • Taquoshi, on 03/11/2008, -1/+1Would you have cared if it was YOUR computer and YOUR flight?
    • carterbaldwin, on 03/11/2008, -0/+1Would you like some salsa for that chip on your shoulder?
  • roguewriter, on 03/11/2008, -3/+8I had a similar problem in December when I went to visit my parents for the holidays. I brought my Airport base station in my carry on because quite frankly I've had enough things stolen out of my checked luggage that I didn't want to take the chance. I got pulled out of line, interrogated, and was forced to explain to three different people that it was a wireless router.
  • dansmeek, on 03/11/2008, -8/+3yeah. i missed a flight too cuz tsa spent too much time investigating my ipod.
    that, and i was also 20 minutes late to the flight.
  • usingpond, on 03/11/2008, -4/+2In before "It's not a real laptop" comment.
  • silverstreamer, on 03/11/2008, -2/+11Original article (by Macbook Air owner): http://www.michaelnygard.com/blog/2008/03/steve_jo ...
    Also, this guy at Newsweek accidentally threw his Air out with his newspapers: http://www.newsweek.com/id/120052/output/print
    • MacMan88, on 03/11/2008, -0/+12If you managed to throw out a $1799 computer with your newspapers, you're a ***** dumbass.
      • doctordbx, on 03/11/2008, -1/+7One could say if you spent $1799 on the Air in the first place you're a ***** dumbass.
        Also if you believe the article you're a ***** dumbass.
    • Taquoshi, on 03/11/2008, -1/+3Actually, my husband is a licensed Apple Service manager and they had a stolen iBook come into their shop for repairs. When they ran the serial number, it turned up as hot and they had to call the police. It was lifted from the home of one of our State Legislators. So, yes, the laughing Apple tech, while rude, was telling the truth.
  • Mahoney07, on 03/11/2008, -6/+3"after some more in-the-know colleagues explained in painfully simple terms what an SSD was"
    What does a SSD have anything at all to do with this story? They come with hard drives too.
    -_-
    • razrielle, on 03/11/2008, -0/+4In a x-ray, hard drive platters show up rather nicely, on the other hand, just regular memory modules just look like regular computer components, so if a TSA agent want in the know about apple products or computers in general aside from what the usual xray looked like then I can see how he could be suspicious
  • jp12380, on 03/11/2008, -7/+1Well, IF this article was true at least they are actually stopping something suspicious and not just letting it pass on through. Yes it is idiotic that they did not know what the macbook air was but what if someone had a bomb in a lookalike macbook air and they just let it slide on through?
  • imacmike, on 03/11/2008, -1/+8"For Your Protection"
  • supertvfanatic, on 03/11/2008, -11/+10THIS ARTICLE IS MOST CERTAINLY BELIEVABLE!

    I was at Oakland International Airport with my Macbook Pro. I'd done this over and over again, except this time, my keyboard iskin cover was on top of the lid, instead of resting on the keyboard inside. I was stopped, and the TSA agent told me, "stand back... i need to check if it's a bomb"

    and then he put these pads on it and scanned, and scanned, and scanned again. when he wasn't sure, he wanted to open up the computer. He started PULLING AT THE LID, when I yelled out, "NO, NO!" "you open it this way" and I was gesturing and moving toward the computer, when he told me, "STAND BACK!"

    I had to tell him twice that you open the thing by pressing the button at the front of the laptop, the shiny one with the white light, to open the lid - and finally, he tried it. Did the airport blow up? not quite!

    If TSA reps don't know how to open a mac laptop after they've had that design since... the Ti Powerbook G4? 2001?

    I can most DEFINITELY believe that they would see the Macbook Air as a new gadget for the suicide bomber.
    • Cherubim, on 03/11/2008, -11/+4Some TSA people may be idiots but mac owners are even bigger idiots. Go back to your cave troll boy.
    • victorh86, on 03/11/2008, -0/+3I wonder how long it would have taken the agent to open a regular Macbook with no latch or button release.
  • xxxkrogoth, on 03/11/2008, -3/+7Wow I had a similar thing happen with my Dell. My poor computer needed to go through a complete cavity search and then the TSA let it board. Now my Dell shuts down if it sees any sort of latex glove. Support in India can't help me with this.
  • adooga, on 03/11/2008, -8/+3Perhaps that's because the mac air is not a real laptop.
  • tastypastry, on 03/11/2008, -1/+8TSA employees are a bunch of idiots. I hate having to go through that ***** when I fly. I could care less if someone was going to blow up the plane, I'm a human being, I shouldn't be that high in the sky anyways.
  • jun2san, on 03/11/2008, -1/+13I think I'm more surprised that someone bought the SSD version.
  • Fl4sh, on 03/11/2008, -1/+10I don't know what's funnier: this article or the TSA as a whole.
  • nobelief, on 03/11/2008, -2/+7i cannot believe its not butter
    • UncleHenry, on 03/11/2008, -0/+1At least do something creative with that line, like "I can't believe it's not Apple"
  • daizaru, on 03/11/2008, -1/+9Smells like an advertisement to me, Laptops get scanned just like everything else. Last I heard the Macbook Air wasn't made out of Lead.
    • firsttube, on 03/11/2008, -1/+2perhaps you didn't finish reading the article?
  • brokencode, on 03/11/2008, -5/+2I bet he uses Windows.
  • terencec, on 03/11/2008, -1/+4FAIL
  • doctordbx, on 03/11/2008, -5/+9Ahhh... yeah... I think if you're the kind of person who believes this ***** you're the kind of person who believes Steve Jobs' *****.
    Well done Apple for another well targeted PR campaign - you know your target audience.
  • dagnome1984, on 03/11/2008, -3/+4IBM X300 > Air
    Air = Lug around an external drive
    No thanks.
  • heystoopid, on 03/11/2008, -0/+1Should be a law against these one in one hundred thousand wankers causing all that evil disruption !
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