Tag: John Hodgman

I’m a Mac (fanboy): Apple ads across the years

Imamac
John Hodgman (left) as PC and Justin Long as Mac (Apple photo)

It’s no secret that I’ve been an Apple fanboy ever since I first read about the company and how it was founded in the 1970s in a Cupertino, Calif., garage by two guys named Steve.

In fact, my first computer was the Apple II, which brought personal computers to millions of people back in the day.

I’ve also been a fan of its advertising campaigns across the decades. Along with its groundbreaking technology, Apple has always taken a different and memorable approach to advertising its products.

But it gained notoriety in 1984 with the debut of the Macintosh.

Apple’s 1984 Super Bowl ad, which skewered IBM while introducing the Mac, is hailed as perhaps the most groundbreaking ad ever. It only aired one time. In case you missed it or it’s been a while, you can play it below.

Then, co-founder Steve Jobs left the company when he was fired by John Scully, the CEO he hired. Apple wandered in the wilderness for a decade before Jobs returned, first as interim CEO and then with the full title.

One of Jobs first and most memorable acts upon his return was to launch Apple’s Think Different campaign. I loved it, and apparently millions of other people did, as well. The company’s sales began to soar. Watch the ultimate Think Different ad here, that celebrates The Crazy Ones.

Another well received Apple ad campaign was known as the Switcher ads, featuring regular people who had switched from PCs to Macs.

My favorite Apple ad campaign of all time was the I’m a Mac campaign that ran from 2006 to 2009. I’m a Mac was actually a series of short vignettes starring Justin Long as the Mac and John Hodgman as the PC.

Long was one cool dude, while Hodgman was hopelessly uncool, out of date and out of touch with popular culture.

But mostly, the ads were funny, which hooked me immediately.

Although it’s been 12 years since the ads were aired, you can easily find them on YouTube. Here’s my favorite I’m a Mac ad of them all, featuring Patrick Warburton, who also played “Puddy” on Seinfeld.

Enjoy the comedy.

BREAKING NEWS: Just saw this from the Wall Street Journal about Apple Inc.

Apple Inc. became the first U.S. company to reach $3 trillion in market value, the latest milestone in a pandemic-era surge that carried shares of the iPhone maker and other large technology companies to unprecedented highs.

Apple shares crossed the milestone when they topped $182.856 Monday. The share price has more than tripled since the pandemic lows of March 2020, adding around $2 trillion in market capitalization.

One More Thing: Apple brings back totally uncool ‘PC’ and it’s awesome

John Hodgman revives his take as the uncool “PC” at Apple’s One More Thing event

I’m a long-time Apple fanboytm, so when I see that a new Apple product event is about to drop, I wait for it with the same impatient anticipation that consumed fans of Game of Thrones or The Sopranos.

Apple held its latest event today, entitled “One More Thing,” plagiarizing the famous Steve Jobs line. The company introduced three Macs built around its own silicon architecture that it calls the M1 chip.

One More Thing did not disappoint, although the highlight of the event for me turned out to be a huge surprise.

Apple brought back John Hodgman as “PC,” and it was a drop-the-mic moment. If you’re not familiar with Apple’s “I’m a Mac and I’m a PC” ads from the early 2000s, I invite you to check out some on this YouTube channel. They are hilarious.

Anyway, Hodgman shows up at the very end after Apple CEO Tim Cook had already signed off.

It was sort of like how Matthew Broderick resurfaces at the end of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off to tell everyone to go home because the movie is over.

Apple CEO Tim Cook

Hodgman bursts on to the screen and says “Stop! Hang on! Wait! One more thing.” Then as the totally uncool PC, he demands to know why Apple is making all these advancements.

I laughed out loud when PC demonstrated how “fast” he is. Check out the whole Apple event or fast forward to 44:29 to watch Hodgman’s performance. 

Definitely worth it.

Oh, and one more thing (apologies). Apple’s new M1 computers, the MacBook Air, the Mac Mini and the 13-inch MacBook Pro, all look incredible. Can’t wait to get my hands on them.