quote You really could put all other arguments aside and just state that the purpose of EMPs is to blow solid state electronics all to heck.
I guess the bottom line here is, "If the lights go out and your watch quits, you got greater concerns than checking your Ipod, and I hope you brought a good pair of walking shoes with you. unquote

I agree with Ben, that pretty much sums it up, I too was going from the high altitude nuke airburst perspective, which is a very real threat and has been for some time from a variety of enemies, just now it is more likely with terrorists rather than a country like Russia or China. The technology is now available to just about anybody with enough money to buy or build a nuke and a delivery system such as a SCUD missle.