USA to insist on pre-flight mobe power probe

The USA's Transport Security Administration (TSA) has announced new, “enhanced security measures” that will require mobile phones to be fully-charged before taken aboard international flights to the nation.

The new requirement is simple. As explained here, the new arrangements will mean that “During the security examination, officers may also ask that owners power up some devices, including cell phones. Powerless devices will not be permitted onboard the aircraft.”

https://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/07/07/usa_to_insist_on_preflight_mobe_power_probe/

Not surprising to me. Way back in 1997 I was at the Phoenix airport and they would not let me board until I retrieved the power pack for my laptop (removed and put into checked baggage because of weight and I never used my computer on flights back then)m to prove it would power up. That's about 16 years ago.

Hi,

What are they intending to achieve by that?...
I read the statement and it's mostly yada-yada and about zero rationale (no offence ).

I remember being asked by airport security to power up my laptop during the immediate post-September-11 time. It went on for a while but then it stopped and I wasn't asked to do so in several years.

Cheers,
Ronen.

What is to stop the bomb maker from replacing the device's full-size battery with a battery-bomb combo?

The battery in my 10 year old laptop is dead dead dead. Suppose I better keep my power cord close by if I fly it. . .