Originally Posted by
PAXboy
The request,: Please remove laptops, means all computing devices. A tablet or E reader (Kindle) is a computer and will cause a bag to be selected for hand search.
It may be that the request has to be more detailed
Most places I travel to say "remove large electronic devices". iPads and kindles are fine to stay in the bag, provided that you only have one of them (more than one and you can't see it properly on the screen).
The problem is a total lack of consistency worldwide; you can't complain about SLF not knowing the rules and therefore not being prepared when the rules change from airport to airport, country to country, and even time to time. In the case of the latter, for example, the last time my wife and kids travelled through LAX they had everything ready and out - only to be told to put everything back in their bags, put their tops and belts back on and just walk through the scanner even when it beeped as it was "Happy Hour"!