Anything to declare? Yeah, Israel nicked my iPad!
by Stevie Smith - Apr 16 2010, 12:08
Perhaps it will deflect attention from your drug stash. Image: Apple.
If you’re reading this on your iPad while waiting for a flight to Israel, we’re sorry to tell you this, but you’re in for a nasty surprise.
More pointedly, Israeli authorities have issued an importation ban against Apple’s latest gadget due to concerns it could cause interference across the country’s Wi-Fi network.
What that essentially means is your glitzy new iPad will be promptly confiscated as soon as the plane’s wheels touch the ground.
And, this isn’t a belated April Fool’s prank either (more’s the pity), as AP reports that eagle-eyed customs officials have already relieved 10 in-bound passengers of their iPads.
According to Nati Schubert, senior deputy director of Israel’s Communications Ministry, the iPad is likely to cause Wi-Fi interference because it functions “in a frequency band which is different from [other devices] that operate on that frequency band.”
He also warned that without proper regulation there could be chaos, adding that the Federal Communications Committee (FCC) in the U.S. permits much higher levels of Wi-Fi broadcasting than in Israel and Europe, which means the iPad – at the moment – is likely to be a disruptive presence.
Officials in Israel have insisted the import ban is only a temporary precaution and should be withdrawn when the iPad has received proper certification regarding its compliance with local transmission levels – something likely to fall into place before the end of May, which is when the iPad is due to launch internationally.
Any visiting iPad owner unceremoniously torn from their iPad by Israeli customs officers will be able to retrieve the device when departing the country. However, they will also need to pay a daily storage fee.
It remains to be seen if any nations throughout Europe move to place a similar block upon Apple’s iPad.
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