Uhh, so why can't they show what the xray looks like? It's just a freaking xray!

And we see a fat guy holding a MacBook Air... WOW
Really useful video. No feedback required.

I imagine they believe that if someone had an image of the X-Ray, then they could craft something to look like it that they wouldn't want sneaking through an X-Ray machine.

Of course, that implies that you have a way to craft something that looks the same on an X-ray, meaning that you have an X-ray machine that you could test this through, meaning that you don't need to see the picture of the X-Ray because you've got the real thing.

Yeah, I've got nothing...

TSA. What a joke.

It's like a laptop... but with fewer features!

<_<

we don't need to see an xray, we've seen the mac book air in all nakedness already. Have you seen an average TSA screener? yeah, don't expect too much.

@smcallah

i guess they really need to watch out for anyone trying to make anything resembling these

[petergof.com]

[forums.macrumors.com]

I imagine some apple fan will have a doctor friend of theirs take an xray of macbook air and will post it on the internet.

I feel a lot safer.

Sensitive xray indeed. No wonder Homeland Security is such a joke and the clowns who populate TSA's underfunded program the unfunny punchline. Pathetic. And we're counting on THIS government to keep us safe? Please. [www.libertarian.to]

Since everybody has covered the "let's dump on the TSA" angle, I'd like to just jump in here to say that I think it's really quite cool that the TSA has responded to the MacBook issue so very publicly and has committed to getting the information out to all of its agents.

At least they're trying.

"Sensitive security information". rofl.

My eee made it through screening twice without incident. I wonder what the red flags really were (guy was an asshole when he was questioned, so the TSA delayed him as long as possible?)

This video would be an example of how YouTube can be a complete waste of time. Some guy holding a MacBook Air saying, 'uh, yeah - it does look different'. And that needed to be in a video format -- why?

I like how he said "so in layman's terms" when he wasn't even saying anything that complex or technical.

Because anyone with 2 brain cells knows that if there is a movie about it, it must be important.

im sure after this there will be an xray of the air circulating around somewhere...take that sensitive information and shove it up your pooper TSA!

I agree! Someone xray one of these and post what it looks like.

Here's a macbook pro:
[img516.imageshack.us]

He can't show us but he'll share it with 45,000 others. That sounds secure.

yah wondering the same thing....i think its because if we were to see the inner workings of an apple product, it would prove harry potter and aliens do exist because theres no way normal humans can make such a device

thats my opinion though, to each its own.

Lol well it makes sense? If you think about it its the airports job to make our lifes harder.

So is this going to be the next feature here? Not enough "Will It Blend" videos anymore? New feature for Gizmodo, will it TSA? Or, will it X-RAY? Or, you fill in the blanks...

I've had my Eee through security a couple times as well, without incident.

While I'm a good leftist with a healthy disrespect for authority, the fact remains that I travel with loads of electronics and have never been hassled by TSA folks.

Of course, I'm a white male, which helps.

And I always keep my binary explosives in the proper size bottles. I just bring alot of them and pass through security several times.

"In layman terms, this uses a different drive than a typical laptop. This uses a solid-state drive."

Layman terms? Since that is what they are actually called, I am not sure why that term would be considered layman.

And that Windows Movie Maker template at the beginning? Damn. This video was filled with uselessness.

Wow, they made that video in windows movie maker. That alone makes me feel unsafe

8 years and all I got was this lousy fear-mongering.

I'm not mad at the TSA for being worthless... we've come to expect that.

But why did Gizmodo post such a fetid pile of crap?

Goodness... A man speaking through his flapping jowls saying it x-rays differently. Thanks for the education.

i think this was the most useless video i've ever seen...

An otherwise full-sized laptop (from a top-down perspective only) without an optical drive or platter-based HDD would definitely look suspicious if you had no idea they existed (if you were going to make a bomb out of a laptop, you'd probably free up some space inside). I can definitely see how someone might think it to be a little sketchy the first time they saw one. It's kind of a useless video, though.

Sweet - they're going to send out pictures of the MBA so they know to let it through security... now I can get back to that project of making a terrorist bomb that looks like a MBA.

Honestly - I miss the old days on airplanes when you could do whatever you wanted and didn't have to take your shoes off at the airport... I'd rather have an occasional plane crash into a building than have to put up with this crap.

Dear America,

LOL, Suckers.

Sincerely,
The Rest of the World

@SinistarX: "At least they're trying."

Yes, they're VERY trying...

@Soulxside: "now I can get back to that project of making a terrorist bomb that looks like a MBA."

Why would you use an MBA instead of a laptop with enough cubic space inside to make a _really_ effective bomb?

The MacBook Air he ran through the machine probably doesn't even have an SSD in it.

Oh well, so long as the perception of safety remains I guess we're okay.

This guy needs to diet too.

@supesguy_:

This guy needs to diet too.

TSA Evolution Security Blog Team?

He never said he actually worked for the TSA he probably has no xray copy or anything because he doesn't actually WORK for the TSA.

Looks like a REALLY good piece of video work.

I just don't understand why bother.

I had a similar issue when taking the first gen iPod through JFK (post 9/11), the week it was released.

TSA were very very unhappy with it, and took it away for 'further analysis' while I waited in the 'holding area'.

Could have just been playing with it for all I know, but they came back after 15 mins and grudgingly gave it back and waived me through.

In Laymans terms, uh..well, uhh, I'd have to say that uh, it does look different, so uh, it is different than traditional laptops, mmmmmkkkkkaaaayyy.

I wonder what an X-ray looks like???? OMG, it must be really different that well an X-ray!!

This is stupid. They are clearly all overpaid. My 6 year old knows this "technical" jargon. You know words like, um, different, typical....ROFL!

whatever.

A laptop made for airplanes and such is a big problem at airports?

yum.

It looks different. This weird device looks totally different then any other laptop we have seen. For instance it has a screen, a keyboard, and when we put it through an x-ray, we see that it has a solid state hard drive that has never ever been seen in any other laptop before. It can easily be be mistaken by our 45,000 TSA agents for a bomb.

MacBook Air is Da' Bomb (No, really!)

@CODIFEROUS: Yeah its usefull for people that hang around at the airport and then go home (not by plane.)

Mainly crazy people. Actually crazy people who does not need a DVD Drive.

So how do they treat the MBAs that use non-SSDs and are just as thin? Also, what will they do when SSD becomes more mainstream in laptops? Like some others have commented, the Eee PC doesn't appear to get much attention.

Beauty always goes a long way, I suppose...

How do people exist, in such a high-level job as airport security that haven't heard of MBAs? Or at least seen the obnoxious commercials?

Well I'm sure His Jobsiness is sleeping better knowing that the TSA has now decided that the Macbook Air exists.

The Security guys probably were just hoping they could confiscate the Mac Book Pro and take it home.

Air

Maybe since it is a solid state drive you can see the porn on his drive.

The crazy shit is why aren't they ahead on new technology!?! Don't they have test labs where the get all the new stuff check it out and then notify all their staff?

it looks completely different and has a SSD? my god, this is breaking news...why didnt Gizmodo report on this??

It just shows how uninformed the majority of Americans are. To this day, people still think that the horrific events of 9-11-2001 were caused by people sneaking illegal shit onto Airliners. They didn't do ANYTHING illegal until they started their (allegedly) illegal hijacking operation.

All of this TSA nonsense has done nothing to protect Americans and the Airspace that is 'monitored' by the FAA. I live across the street from a major airport. If I was a decuhebag towel head, I could easily fuck some shit up. Security is a joke.

He talks way, way too fast. I can't understand a word he's saying. And English is my native language.

TSA Blogger Bob is kind of cute for a chubby guy. Does he have a MySpace?

Did it ever occur to anyone that this video might not be for those of us who already knew that this computer would probably look different under X-Ray but directed at the less tech-savvy but still infatuated with gadgetry crowd?

It may not be the best response to how they handle something new, but at least they're trying to do something here.

That aside, the whole bit about the actual X-ray images being a matter of national security is pretty dumb.

@Set to evil: Don't you know that those 45,000 TSOs are better than us? They've had training that helps them achieve up to a 20% weapon detection success rate!

@Gev: The xray bit actually isn't dumb at all. If you go to your doctor's office and do an xray of anything you'll end up with a black/gray/white image that certainly is not a matter of national security.

Airport scanners don't work quite that way. They actually color code different components to make them stand out based on their composition and density. That image, the one that would allow people to do a comparison between the scanner and the contents of a MacBook Air, is the one that is a matter of national security since it would enable someone to design a device that registers as similar to a MacBook in the scanner color scale.

Is it possible for somebody to grab an MBA, scan it, and post the pics online? Sure. But the TSA isn't going to help that process any. It's the same reason why their xray monitors are shrouded - to keep passengers from seeing the resulting scans.

Sure this makes sense, because explosives look like SSD's all the time.

-facepalm

Nevermind the fact that the xray image will color an SSD disk the same color as a USB flash drive or a memory stick. It's just NAND ram in a much larger array. I still fail to see the conundrum.

@Barry99705:
Why show a "sensitive information" TSA x-ray when you always have some idiot taking any new gadget appart as soon as it comes out?

I wonder how many TSA people stood around to do nothing while crafting this nifty video. My guess is 12. 1 to hold the camera, the guy talking and 10 to stand around profiling people.

hes hot, love them bears!

I feel safer knowing that my government is using highly effective 'Mac user' profiling to find terrorists. If anyone is going to be dangerous, it's going to be someone that buys a MBA.