Original URL: https://www.theregister.com/2001/04/23/apple_powerbook_bomb_shuts_airport/
Apple Powerbook ‘bomb’ shuts airport
Titanium 'residues'
Posted in Personal Tech, 23rd April 2001 13:03 GMT
A Californian airport was closed for six hours on Friday, following a bomb scare.
And the 'culprit'? Step forward the Titanium Powerbook G4. Operators of an x-ray machine installed at Burbank airport were unable to get a high-enough res look at a machine trundling through security. They called in back up for some chemical analysis. Swabs revealed "residues" which caused some concern The police and the FBI were called in, flights were cancelled, and hundreds of customers were left milling the booking hall.
After six hours, the police determined that the Powerbook was indeed a Powerbook and not a bomb - its
hapless owner was released from questioning, and the airport was free to return to its business.
The scare was blamed on the titanium used in the laptop casing - officials said this could have given a false reading
Let's hope this mix-up had something to do with the x-ray machine, rather than some magical shielding properties possessed by the Titanium PowerMac G4. If somehow it's the latter, Apple could have an awful lot of product liability suits on its hands. ®