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Israel Blocks iPad Imports, Citing Wi-Fi Transmission Regulations
unixcrab writes with this excerpt from The Mac Observer: "Apple's iPad is proving to be popular everywhere — except Israel. The country's Communication Ministry is refusing to let people bring the multimedia tablet into the country because it hasn't tested and approved the Wi-Fi technology used in the device, according to Haaretz. Ministry officials commented, 'The iPad device sold exclusively today in the United States operates at broadcast power levels [over its Wi-Fi modem] compatible with American standards. As the Israeli regulations in the area of Wi-Fi are similar to European standards, which are different from American standards, which permit broadcasting at lower power, therefore the broadcast levels of the device prevent approving its use in Israel.' The government seems serious about its iPad import ban. Customs officials have already confiscated ten iPads and told their owners to ship them overseas."
Wait till they ship a model to europe that has the wifi part limited to ETSI power and frequency limits.
There are 4 boxes to use in the defense of liberty: soap, ballot, jury, ammo. Use in that order. Starting now.
...WI-FI transmissions are from right to left.
You will have to turn your routers and ipads upside down to make them work.
Does Israel hate the iPad???
Held to a countries regulations. Oh wait, they had to pass FCC testing here too. Big whoopie fucking do.
No sig for you!!
Declare nothing. Always answer, "Nope, didn't buy anything overseas"
And ship things like this home in a box.
is too simply BLEND the i-Fill_In_This_Blank_With_Whatever_Apple_Dumps_Into_The_Market.
Enjoy.
Yours In Astrakhan,
Kilgore Trout
Let me get this straight: Israel don't want the iPad in the country because its WiFi transmits at LOWER power than their standards?
Doesn't... lower power mean LESS interference?
Can someone with radio skillz please explain how this makes sense?
Apple doesn't sell their own products directly in Israel, they have a distributor there. Every iPad brought in represents a lost sale for them. Sounds like they're angry about not getting the device quickly enough and losing early sales.
http://www.apple.com/il/buy/
http://lkml.org/lkml/2005/8/20/95
I think the concern is more about travelers coming from North America. As somebody who has brought tons of American bought laptops into Israel I find this very strange indeed.
Is it coincidence that iPads are being "confiscated" shortly after Apple announced the international launch of the iPad was being delayed? I think not! :)
This is users bringing devices from overseas, having them confiscated. The ones Apple sells there would presumably meet whatever standard is required for the country.
So, I'd say poor users, being foolish enough to actually declare a device too small to really detect by customs. That'll learn 'em.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
This isn't really "news" so much as a PSA. To everyone who bought an iPad and is going to travel to Israel, don't bring your iPad with you.
That is pretty common in a lot of countries.
In Argentina, if you import a device with a plug different from our official plug (in size and shape), the import can be rejected.
Even if you could buy a cheap adapter in order to make it work (provided that the voltage is compatible), you are banner for importing until you request a device with the right plug.
So some people end up paying bribes to enter such a devices.
DNA in your Linux: DNALinux
A spokesperson for the Israeli Communications Ministry said the Israeli Government had fully investigated the import ban, and found that Israel had at all times operated in accordance with international law. Israeli customs officers maintained a high professional and moral level while facing an enemy that aimed to terrorize Israeli civilians by broadcasting wifi at American power levels. Next time we see one of those iPads, the spokesperson said, we'll probably just shoot it.
Not kosher.
5Ghz is where a lot of military radar like stuff operates. In particular Israel has specific 802.11a restrictions
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_WLAN_channels
5.5Gz up is a not supposed to be used in Israel, but is open for use in US, Japan and Europe.
Here is a good, but not current, discussion of the various issues around wifi.
http://wifinetnews.com/archives/2007/01/5_ghz_or_bust.html
That's enough now, Timmy.
Now go away and do your damn job - find something interesting.
Try Ars Tech, or something. Anything....
Hell, maybe even CNN or the BBC
I don't think it does ad hoc networking. If there are no 5.8GHz base stations, then the iPad won't use 5.8GHz Wi-Fi. If there are 5.8GHz base stations, then it isn't really the iPad that's creating the problem, is it?
http://lkml.org/lkml/2005/8/20/95
Unless, of course, they HAVE to declare or they face serious tax evasion penalties.
Face how? Remember how I said the device was just about un-detectable by security? It's super flat, if you just leave it under a laptop they wouldn't think much of in on an X-Ray.
I know Israel security is very tight, but I'm thinking incoming residents don't face much more scrutiny of luggage than in any other country I've been in - where you say you have nothing to declare, possibly get sniffed by a dog, and you are on your way.
Remember the devices are being confiscated, and the people are being told they have to send them back overseas. So if you DON'T hide them you are out $500 for sure, instead of possibly being out a bit more.
Of course, I'd just wait until they ship there, but if you're bringing in something under $1k I see to reason to really declare it as it's probably more bother than it's worth, fines or no.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
If Israel's WiFi standard is like Europe's, this begs several questions:
0) Isn't it likely that Apple has already explored this ground? If not prior to the iPad's rollout, then after introducing the same technology in the iPhone when they introduced it over a year ago throughout europe and Israel?
1) Why haven't european regulators also rejected the iPad? Since they apparently have not, they must have tested the iPad (or grandfathered it as comparable iPhone tech) and accepted it.
2) Since the europeans tested and accepted the iPad, why haven't the Israelis accepted the european test results since they're supposedly equivalent?
Sounds like the Israelis are waving a red herring. Either they're protecting an in-country product or license, or they're punishing Apple for something. Either way, this kind of pissy petulence makes them sound like a snotty child.
"I'll take my ball away and play with myself."
This is non sense... an iPad is nothing more than a computer with WiFi...
Maybe I`m wrong or i just dont get it....
What exactly is the issue with the Wifi?
I could have read this story on any news feed.
Really, I know what I'm doing...Ohhhh, look at the shiny buttons!
So the question I have is does anyone know what the WI-FI transmit power is on the IPAD? I didn't see it on Apple's site and don't seem to be finding it anywhere? Are we talking a full 1 watt?
Have you considered moving to Israel?
I am the richest astronaut ever to win the superbowl.
please mod parent "+10 damn right". I am getting tired of 2 maxipad news a day
Mossad doesn't have an easy way to crack into it yet. Shouldn't take long.
"I'm not a quack, I'm a mad scientist! There's a difference." - Dr. Cockroach
NOT KOSHER!!!
I will not be pushed, filed, stamped, indexed, briefed, debriefed or numbered. My life is my own.
Sounds like somebody is angling for some free samples to "test".
For all the hype about being so high-tech, Israel in my experience has a god-awful and low-tech customs agency.
My favorite: The first fella who had his iPad confiscated learned it was being held in a depot...and he was paying for each day it was in customs.
They are a goofball organization and charge outrageous fees- just try smuggling a Wii or something along those lines into Israel.
Hopefully this will shame them a bit, but not bloody likely.
Let the anti-semetism begin!
I don't know that many people have anything against SeMet, but whatever...
"Slashdot - News and Chat Sites Deviant". (Click "homepage" link above for details).
According to Orthodox Jewish law, iPads are dirty and must be submerged in a Mikvah to be cleansed.
All you iPad is belonging to US!
The issue here is not that the Israeli Government hasn't approved the IPad. It is that the customs officials are actively conviscating the Ipad from tourists and other visitors.
This is good to know. I wouldn't want to bring my new Ipad and have it confiscated at the Border.
Banned in households of US intelligence agents because they reputedly recorded sounds.
The media overlord BBC is touting Apple products to the point of being obsessive. There's no escape. It's disgusting.
This post contains benzene, nitrosamines, formaldehyde and hydrogen cyanide.
I don't really understand how this infomercial qualifies as Slashdot material, but still it needs some corrections:
1. The iPads were not confiscated - they were only prevented from entering Israel. They are still the property of whoever bought them, and he's welcome to take them back to the US and return/sell them on.
2. This regulation only applies to people trying to *sell* iPads in Israel - one piece for personal use is perfectly OK. I know many people who imported various wireless devices (walkie talkies, wifi routers, even Nexus Ones) to Israel, and as long as it's for personal use nobody challenged them at customs. Most electronics (except for musical instruments) is customs-exempt in Israel anyway.
The iPad scene in Israel: even though the thing doesn't have Hebrew text entry yet, there's still a very clear interest in it. There are companies who offer to buy it in the US and send it to you. Typical price including shipping is 2500NIS ($660):
http://www.mustop.co.il/special-deals-israel/ipad
like this?
Israel is definitely NOT like Europe.
Mod parent "Redundant".
I clicked "Read More" on this article just so that I could scroll to the bottom and see someone marked as troll bash Isreal's "evil" government. I'm leaving satisfied.
Big deal they will give them back when you leave.
a) What if you live there? You don't want to have to leave the country to use a device you bought.
b) They charge you for every day they have to store it for you.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
Not the 1st problem for Apple products entering Israel:
http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2009/12/19/video-three-bullets-and-a-macbook/
What's past is NOT ALWAYS prologue for the future!
I would be willing to bet most Wifi radios in non-ipad devices by default or by configuration or firmware modification can be set to transmit at power levels above 100mw or transmit via unapproved frequencies.. Shouldn't all of these devices be prevented from entering the country as well? Whats the difference?
I understand the when in rome concept but the existance of an ipad does not necessarily mean you will use the device in a way that is not prohibitied by local law. For example ipads and cellular phones can be used on Airplanes as long as all of the RF radios are switched off. The radio in the ipad can be switched off.
What sucks even more is that one Israeli passport stamp and your essentially banned from going to a great number of other middle eastern countries until you loose your passport and have a new one issued to you. Countries need to be nicer and more understanding of visitors. Especially the US..nothing like coming back from an overseas trip where everyone is quite nice and professional to the sound of a belligerent customs/tsa agent with a badge being an annoying little prick and making fun of visitors who ask questions or don't notice the signs in front of them. A whole lot of PPL just need to grow up.
Some in Israel are or were fighting Arabs. And that includes Israel's Founding Fathers. Avraham Katznelson "felt that nothing was 'more moral, from the viewpoint of universal human ethics, than the emptying of the Jewish state of the Arabs and their transfer elsewhere.... This requires ... force.'" In the same article David Ben-Gurion said "We must expel Arabs and take their places ... and if we have to use force ... to guarantee our own right to settle these places -- then we have force at our disposal."
Oh, and note that that website is not antisemitic or anti-Israel, it is the website of the Jewish group Tikkun run by Rabbi Michael Lerner. "Tikkun" means "to heal, repair, and transform the world."
Falcon
Should there be a Law?
Well, thanks for the vote of confidence anyway!
If I'm a Troll, and you're Offtopic, then there's no hope for this place...
Whew - for a moment there I thought I wasn't going to get any iPad news today.
There must be tens of thousands of people coming to Isreal with laptops every day. I doubt that the customs know which ones agree with the Israeli rules. So what is special about the iPad?
Israel isn't the exception. The US is. This is the only country to have certified the use of the apple toy.
We make a big deal of having people who come to OUR country respect OUR laws. That means a cellphone jammer that's legal in the UK cannot be brought nor used into this country. Laptops get confiscated and searched at the border, and people are interrogated about cash. We can discuss the libertarian aspects in the other 1700 threads... BUT
Israel is doing no differently than WE do. Their communication ministry (equivalent of our FCC) dictates what is ok and what isn't, and just as the apple toys are not certified for use in Europe they are not certified for use in Israel.
I'm sorry you don't like that your laptop can be confiscated. I'm sorry you think it would be worse if you're on a business trip. Don't bring drugs to Singapore, icrap to Israel, or laptops with kiddie porn to the US. You'll lose them and your liberty.
This "article" is worthless because it implies Israel is the exception. In fact it's we who are the exception.
Time to drop the false sense of outrage and enlightenment and respect other countries rights not to live by our (US) laws.
E
last year, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) changed their rules to classify any lithium-based battery (even the tiny ones found in wrist-watches) as a "Hazardous Material" and under the Universal Postal Convention, it prohibits hazardous materials from being sent internationally by mail (nationally, most Universal Postal Union member countries restrict it to ground-only mail).
http://www.post.japanpost.jp/int/use/restriction/other_en.html
The restriction also prohibits electronic devices with batteries in them unless they remove the battery.
Third-party (FedEx, UPS, DHL, etc.) parcel companies are exempt though mainly because they have their own planes though airlines that also provide air-cargo services may have other restrictions as well as similar restrictions in certain cases.
I guess they can try to claim it's a "feminine hygiene product"....
If you look at the back of the iPad you can see the CE logo. You can see a picture here: http://www.holesinthenet.co.il/archives/9761 It's in Hebrew, but just scroll 1/3 way into the post.
Now you have the problem that said device interferes with military radar, and now you have IDF at your door
I'll bet you actually think it's important to turn off WiFi devices on planes, too, lest it bring the whole plane down in a fiery ball.
You laugh, but let me tell you about the last time I flew...
I was playing Pokemon on the DS, as was a kid a few rows back - so we went to the union room to see about some trades... Anyway, I found someone in the union room and traded my Voltorb for something called "Otto" - I'd never heard of it before. Not thirty seconds later, there's an explosion in the front of the plane... Fortunately nobody was hurt, but it took out some of the plane's instruments, apparently, and forced an emergency landing...
So, yeah, I really don't think wi-fi on planes is a good idea.
Bow-ties are cool.
Thanks for clarifying your willingness not to fight for liberty.
Falcon
Should there be a Law?
"Apple's iPad is proving to be popular everywhere"
If by everywhere they mean the United States because this thing isn't officially available anywhere else.
Read what I mean, not what I wrote.
You don't get to "fight" for anything in another country. They have their laws.
Now start fighting for liberties in THIS country and stop being an ass.
E
Did you read what I wrote before responding?
I still cannot find the droids I am looking for...
And live with the next generation of nazis as they fuck up all the palestinians? I think not!
And why exactly do you think the explosion was in any way related to your wi-fi?
Point 1 - I bet that a good percentage of people that use their electronic devices on airplanes do not consciously turn off wi-fi.So far I haven't heard of any plane accidents that were attributed to wi-fi transmissions.
Point 2 - Lufhtansa for a while actually advertised wireless connectivity on their airplanes for web surfing during long-haul flights. At the time it was a bit expensive and extremely laggy so I only used it once. But they definitely didn't discourage it.
Things get interesting internationally because the 2.4GHz ISM band is defined differently in each country (but loosely based around the three ITU regions). There is a good reference list on Wikipedia. For example, most of the world can use channels 1-13, but North American users are limited to channels 1-11 at full power (12 & 13 can be used at reduced power -- but that's too complicated for most people so the channels are restricted). Spain used to be limited to channels 10 & 11 and France to 10-13, but this has been changed as the two countries harmonise with the rest of Europe.
The nice database at Linux Wireless lists frequencies and power levels. Israel is listed as having a 2.4GHz band of 2402.000 - 2482.000 MHz with a max power of 100mW. The US band is 2402.000 - 2472.000 (narrower) with a maximum power of 500mW (much higher). If the iPad is actually running 0.5W at 2.4GHz I can see why the Israeli authorities will be a bit cranky. Australia & the UK have the 100mW limits, but people in NZ with iPads (such as @lisatickledpink) will be fine since the power limit is 1000mW (woo hoo!)
If Apple had been sensible and limited the power output to 100mW across the board then there would be no trouble with WiFi across borders, and perhaps that is what most laptop manufacturers have done (to avoid the wifi cards being ripped out at Customs)?
And why exactly do you think the explosion was in any way related to your wi-fi?
Because somehow the plane's avionics got confused, traded me its autopilot program for a Voltorb, and then the Voltorb self-destructed... Read between the lines, man!
Bow-ties are cool.
And why exactly do you think the explosion was in any way related to your wi-fi?
Because somehow the plane's avionics got confused, traded me its autopilot program for a Voltorb, and then the Voltorb self-destructed... Read between the lines, man!
Ohh, if only they hadn't deleted all those Pokemon articles from Wikipedia, he could have checked there to understand your joke.
Independent tests by the Israelis confirm that the iPad's WiFi is not too weak, but to strong.
Yup. Reciprocity is the name of the game. You grab our stuff. Then we grab yours. Then there is discussion.
1. iPad does comply with European WIFI standards
2. Israeli Ministry of Communication declares that European and Israeli WIFI standards are identical
3. iPad uses the same WIFI iPhone, iPod, MacBook and iMac use
4. iDigital (Peres son's company) is the monopolist importer of Apple products to Israel
5. Israeli Ministry of Communication has not checked the iPad by itself, but requested the necessary information from iDigital instead
6. iDigital started to sell iPhone in Israel 3 years after it's sales began in US. The sales isn't too good probably due to the fact that everybody interested in iPhone already bought it "unofficially". Including me.
7. Apple's products in iDigital are substantially more expensive comparing to US or Europe
8. "iDigital couldn't be reached for comment about the ministry's decision to ban imports of the iPad" - WSJournal
Anybody help to add 2 + 2?
Did you read what I wrote before responding?
Not only did I read what you wrote, I even included the part you wrote, Honestly I have no problem with Israel relocating/segregating the Palestinians, I was replying to in my post.
As for the rest of your post, there wasn't the hatred you wrote of "The hatred they have for each other is ingrained from birth an cannot be resolved" was not there before or during WWII. It only cam with the founding of Israel. Israeli founders wanted to ethnic cleanse Israel. Don't believe me? Take the words of some of Israel's founders. Try for instance some of those quoted by Tikkun, a Jewish group.
"Shlomo Lavie, a well-known leader of the Israeli Labor Party, the Mapai, declared that the 'transfer of Arabs out of the country in my eyes is one of the most just, moral, and correct things that can be done.'"
Or another Mapai leader, Avraham Katznelson, who "felt that nothing was 'more moral, from the viewpoint of universal human ethics, than the emptying of the Jewish state of the Arabs and their transfer elsewhere.... This requires ... force.'"
Or take the Israeli massacres against Palestinians. Irgun and Lehi, who the British in the British Mandate called terrorists. No less than Ariel Sharon led Israeli troops in the massacre in the West Bank village of Qibya. Hell Lehi even offered to work with the NAZIs. Wiki and Google, that wiki article is the first Google result, provides brief lists of Israeli massacres against Palestinians.
Now tell me again how separation will end all the problems in the Israeli/Palestinian conflict and that Israeli expansionism and ethnic cleansing aren't part of the problem.
Falcon
Should there be a Law?
That's only because Palestinians either fled or were driven out of Israel. If Palestinians had the same Right of Return as Jews then Israel's Jewish population would be overcome.
There are 32 countries with more than 75% of muslim population, some of them with more than 99%. Total area of muslim countries is around 30%, take or give. And its not just any land, its fscking oil rich land.
What the fuck dies that have to do with it?
In these muslim countries jews are not even allowed to own property. People can't even enter these countries with an Israeli passport, not even for tourism.
Citation required. Of course you may not provide one but unless I am provided evidence of it I will not believe your claims.
Muslims in Israel are allowed to own property, vote and enjoy the same rights that the jews have.
Unless of course Israelis want that land. And if not just Muslims but others too have the same rights then why are Muslims being Massacred? For more check out Google's results for Israeli Massacres and A Brief List of Massacres in Palestine. No less than Israel's first Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion said ""We must expel Arabs and take their places ... and if we have to use force ... to guarantee our own right to settle these places -- then we have force at our disposal." The Tikkun article was written by a Jew and Tikkun is edited by Rabbi Michael Lerner so this is not an anti-semetic shot, includes quotes from other Israeli founders as well. Such as Shlomo Lavie who declared that "transfer of Arabs out of the country in my eyes is one of the most just, moral, and correct things that can be done." Another said "All moral enterprises are carried out through compulsion.... The transfer [of Palestinians] is a just, logical, moral, and humane program in all senses" (quoted, along with the three prior quotations, in Nur Masalha's The Politics of Denial of 2003).
So how is that Jew became the majority in Israel? And do none Jews really have the same rights?
Falcon
Should there be a Law?
I also note the claim I did make, that "Zionists will do almost anything to create a Jewish state for Jews only", wasn't commented on.
For a number of reasons. First of all, it's an unfair categorization: Anyone who's pro-Israel = Zionist = willing to murder in cold blood "to create a Jewish state for Jews only".
Show me where I said "pro-Israel = Zionist" never mind the " = willing to murder in cold blood" part. If you can't stop spreading lies.
Since you can't carry on a conversation without making up lies I see no reason to continue.
Falcon
Should there be a Law?
Israeli government removed israeli hardliner settlers from land they had settled illegally and were never supposed to be on in accordance
with international agreements that Israel had previously agreed to.