The Flight Attendant approached Lizzie and wiggled her fingers to get her attention.
"Yes?" Lizzie asked, removing her earbuds.
"The Captain has made the 'stow away all electronic equipment' announcement. We'll be landing soon."
"Oh, I'm sorry, I was so into my new iPad, I must have missed it. I've never had a device that lasted the entire flight on one charge. I'll put it right away."
The Flight Attendant just smiled and continued on.
Lizzie couldn't help but feel a little pride at her brand new iPad. She just got it last week after standing in line for four hours at the Apple Store on Fifth Avenue. And she was one of the lucky ones. She heard that after her only ten more people were able to score one.
Lizzie was a huge Apple fan. She had an iMac, an iPhone, and now an iPad. Some people felt the iPad was nothing but a larger sized iTouch or iPhone without the phone service, but she fell in love with it the moment she got it into her hands. Of course she had already decided to buy one before she stood in line, but seeing the demo in the store as she approached the sales register was love at first sight.
And perfect timing too. She was flying back to Israel to spend one more semester at Ben-Gurion University. And she knew iPads were not yet available in Israel or Europe, so she would be the envy of many of her fellow students. Some of the girls had called her a spoiled rich Jewish American Princess. But in her mind, if you have it, flaunt it baby. She put her things away under her seat and relaxed as the flight began it's descent into Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv.
As typical the flight took a long time to deplane. When she finally entered the terminal she picked up fer bags and proceeded to Immigration. She showed her paperwork to an attendant who shepherded her into the express line. Ah, this was the life. Not like US Immigration where you could stand for an hour at JFK.
The person in front of her was waived through, and she moved up to the desk. Two Immigration officials smiled and took her visa and passport and began to ask her all the usual question.
And then it got to...
"Are you carrying any portable electronic devices?"
"Yes."
"Have you filled out the-"
"Yes," and she stuck the white inventory sheet into his nose.
He took it and carefully read over it.
"Hmm, your iPad, can we see it?"
She smiled. Of course, they wanted to see what it looked like. "No problem." She bent down to her pink carryon backpack and unzipped the back panel, slipping out her shiny little baby. "It's a dream, isn't it?"
"Can you power it on for us?"
"Sure." She tapped the screen. It instantly came on. "Cool, huh? Have you seen these yet? She started to demonstrate several of the applications and the cool way they slid, flipped, or zoomed in and out on the screen."
"I'm sorry Miss, but we'll have to confiscate this."
"What!? What do you mean confiscate?" Her heart stopped beating, she was sure of it.
"The Israeli Ministry of Technology and Information has determined that Apple iPads manufactured in the United States interfere with the Israeli WiFi signal broadcasting standards. Your iPad is a non-compliant device and could cause interference with approved electronics and possibly even military and defense force mobile devices."
Lizzie's jaw dropped down to her chest.
"What are you talking about? It's not a broadcasting device. It works the same way as my Mac. That's not illegal. I had my Mac here last semester. Practically everyone on campus has one."
"I'm sorry," he said, taking the device and handing it to the other officer who slipped it out of site on a shelf behind the dais where they were standing. "For the duration of your stay in Israel, we'll hold it here in Customs. On your way out of the country, you can apply to have it returned to you. Here," he said, reaching for several yellow and white forms, "you'll need to fill these out so when you leave, you can request to have it returned to you."
"What are you talking about? What do you mean I can't have my iPad? This is ridiculous!"
"Young lady, please calm down, or we'll have to detain you for causing a disturbance and creating a security situation."
"But- but-" Lizzie stammered as the other officer steered her away to a desk where several other people were filling out similar paperwork.
A young Arab student who had been through a much more grueling search and seizure was standing there filling out several of the forms. He smiled at Lizzie as she was brought to the table to fill out her form.
"What did you lose?" he asked her.
She looked at him, still stunned. "My iPad."
"Ooh, that smarts. But they let you keep you Mac, huh?"
"Yes, they said my iPad violated wiFi broadcasting standards."
He chuckled. "Yeah, they said the same thing about my Mac. That's why I actually use my iTouch for everything. I just carry the Mac as a decoy."
Lizzie was steaming mad and didn't know what to say.
"Hope you got your serial number, or you'll never get it back."
Lizzie suddenly realized the Customs Official still had the paperwork with the Serial Number.
Meanwhile the Customs Official who had led Lizzie away had returned to his post.
"Good catch, huh?"
"Yep, I have Nehemiah's Bar Mitzvah covered. Now all I need is one more for Elisheva's wedding present and I'm set! How many more do you need?"
"Just for my wife. You know Rafela, if I want to get a little something she has to get a little something."
"I hear you. Women. Feh."
***
"JERUSALEM—Israel this week has been blocking travelers from bringing Apple Inc.'s new iPad into the country saying the device's wireless technology threatens to create interference with other products, a move that has puzzled people both in Israel and Silicon Valley.
The decision has left many scratching their heads. Travelers have been bringing laptops and cellphones configured to U.S. standards, including other Apple devices with the same wireless configuration, into Israel for years without incident. Some Israeli lawmakers alleged on Friday the decision undermines Israel's status as a global leader in the high-tech industry."
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