Interview with John Hodgman, the PC from those "Get a Mac" ads
By Peter Rojas 
posted October 5th 2006 2:26PM
posted October 5th 2006 2:26PM
So first things first: Mac or PC?
Here is the joke that is absolutely apt, though I once promised I would never make it: "I play one on TV, but I am not a PC." It is true. I am first of all: not a computer, but a human being; and second of all: a Mac user, almost exclusively, since 1984. There was a brief period in the wilderness between 1997 and 2003. Let us not speak of it.
Did you have to do any first-hand research to get into the PC mindset?
OK, if we must speak of it. My PC experience was relatively benign. I had two machines over those two years, and both ended with the PC, despite all of my diligent maintenance, freaking out at the end, unusable, overwhelmed with spyware and bugs, slowly singing "bicycle built for two" and plotting my demise.
Do people assume that you and Steve Jobs are bros now?
By people, I presume you mean "you." Sadly, your fantasy is a delusion. I have not met Steve Jobs, though I take great pleasure in knowing that it's now perhaps more likely than it was before.
Anyone from Microsoft contact you? I hear Bill Gates is looking for a body double.
When I and Coulton and other friends did an 826 benefit in Seattle over labor day, some Microsoft employees approached me after the show to reassure me that I could always come over to their side should I ever change my mind. I told them it was unlikely. They were nice people. I was glad they did not garrotte me.
You have a gig on The Daily Show and write for The New York Times Magazine (among other things), so I assume you weren't leafing through trade mags looking for acting jobs. How'd you get cast for the ads?
The director of the ad, Phil Morrison, who made a brilliant, beautiful movie called JUNEBUG, also apparently reads books of fake trivia, including mine, THE AREAS OF MY EXPERTISE. (Now out in paperback! End plug). Emboldened, I suppose, by the Daily Show appearances, he put my name in a very large hat. But I did not know any of this til I got the job.
The villain of any story is often the most compelling character. Justin, who is brilliantly funny, of course must play the hero, and the Luke Skywalkers of the world always catch a certain amount of flack. It's unfair, but inevitable, and I don't think it has caused people to buy more PCs anymore than it caused people to root for the empire over the Jedi. The Jedi still are the best. And they don't get viruses.
How did you maneuver me into a Star Wars discussion? Damn internet.
That is all.
Thanks for your time!
Yeah, uses what you want. Why people feel they have to bash the other side is beyond me.
Also, before exclaiming macs are too expensive, add up all the software and factor in well-built, quality materials for your windows machine. It'll probably be close.
I used PCs for years and grew up building my own, but this new macbook pro is nice. OSX is much easier to get into and everything just works. PCs allow for more customizing and tweaking (mostly), but I spent a lot of time tweaking my PC to get it to work half as well as this mac.
Just my opinion. Nice interview.
Hes just doing what he's paid for. Advertise Mac.
Oh I hate Mac elitists... Theres one.. Theres another one...
The guy is cooler than the Mac Guy, the Mac guy looks pretentious and not all of us mac users are like that, the same way not all PC user are dumb assholes like some elements arround. Hey PC guys if you dont like Mac's just dont buy one and stop caring about us.
Funny clip on The Daily Show where he tries to explain Net Neutrality... and John Stewart asks him what kind of computer he'd be: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rtkeCwAk8M
Linux is Better
I agree the commercials make me go huh? like that has never happend to me or I don't know what they are talking about.
if anything they just bring a laugh even to pc users.
The virus debate cracks me up... mostly PC users' responses. They love throwing out the "Macs don't get viruses because they're such a small share of the market"... yeah? so?
The ads (and Mac fans) aren't saying that Macs have better hardware/software designs that make them virus proof... they're saying that Macs have better hardware/software designs, and on a different subject they don't get attacked by viruses.
Now, they may push the two together to fool all the, um, fools out there, and if that's the case, who cares, they'll never know the difference. But for those of us who understand, sufficeth to say that for whatever reason (in this case it just happens to be market penetration, or lack thereof) Macs don't get viruses. That's it, no viruses... who cares why...
BTW, I'm a PC user, thinking about dabbling with Macs to see what they're about... I'm not a fanboy, I just hate hearing stupid arguements from whatever side of the debate.
Remember, everytime you post something stupid on Engadget, a kitten dies. Be kind, post responsibly.
I use PC's and have been for pretty much all my life. A few things I feel are wrong with your post though and a few of my own opinions.
1. I don't think it's the PC/hardware development that's the main issue, but it is a part of it. It's the fact that more people use PC's for business use and such, and more Windows Computers are used than Mac computers, it's pretty much a fact. Now, if I'm hypothetically developing a virus, which would I want it to attack? The PC userbase with more Windows computers, or the Mac userbase with less? Answer: the Windows userbase because it's used far more often than the Mac PC.
This is exactly the kind of quirky cool stuff I love this site for! Nice going Peter & company. =)
All I have to say is: A PC can only run windows, but a Mac can run OSX and Windows. When a PC can do that let me know, then a PC can compete with a Mac...Why in the heck you would WANT to run windows though?
No, IBM PC compatible's can run: Window's, Linux, and Unix; and illegally: MAC OSX (any operating system that is compatible with x86 architecture). This is because Apple sells PC hardware, and software; Microsoft only sells software (note we're only talking about home computers here, not Xbox's or iPod's). As long as you buy their software, Microsoft makes the same amount of money; Apple does not.
I'm glad he looks so much healthier than he does in those commercials. I have some clips of him on the NPR show "This American Life," they were some of my favorites and it's good to finally put a face to the voice after all these years.
You mean he's a real person? I thought he was an Actroid DER2...
If you are a simple user then a Mac is suitable. If you an advanced user and you plan on having job in the real world not the Mac fantasy land then you need a pc. Who needs an Ipod I can watch divx movies on my PDA phone with my 2gig mini SD card? Soon to be 8gig mini SD in 4mo. PS I love my Mac lol!
For all the talk of Mac elitists it seems like there's many more PC elitists in the forum.
I'm not really a gamer. I've been using Macs since the 80's. I like them. I guess that makes me an elitist noob huh.
Do you all go around deriding people who use Kitchen-Aid microwaves because they're not as hackable as Sunbeam ones.
Give me a break.
Lol, this guy is great. I think most people like him over the Mac character, but again, I really doubt he's doing anything but helping Apple win more sales.
@ Brandon
Does being a douche bag help you in this "real world" you speak of.
Oh so I guess games aren't fun, thats why macs are better :- I'm still a PC person :D and guess what? I don't get viruses! The most I've gotten recently are tracking cookies, maybe this guy is going to some "dirty" sites to get viruses.
It's not mac vs. windows anymore don't you understand. All this changed with boot camp, a brilliant move by mac. The 95% stat is always dumb because your comparing two different things. Apple is not competing against that number its competing against Dell's 17.9% and HP's whatever. So five is pretty good, and it's only going to grow in part because of good product but also impart because of the mac evangelistic fan base.
i would personally switch to a mac but i am too poor to afford them
I can not thank you enough for bring up this point. As long as apple's least expensive product, the mac mini, remains at prices around $700 with no keyboard/mouse/monitor they will not grab a vast amount more of market share.
Wonderboy
"karmaghost, just so you know it's called "acting". This common art form is the procedure of pretending to be something you're not so asking what kind of computer he uses is a great question. Also, just in case you've been confused... Mel Gibson is not Scottish, Russell Crowe did not kill a Roman Emperor, Mark Hamill does not have a mechanical hand, and Britney Spears can't actually sing."
Thanks for the definition of "acting," I appreciate it. My point was this; it is likely (however, not inconceivable) that someone who is hired to act as a PC in a negative PC ad is not likely a big PC fan and, therefore, is likely to answer the question "Are you a PC or a Mac" pretty predictably.
Hodgman is funny on Daily Show but I can't stand these ads.
Um, Macs do carry the same viruses as Windows does. I guess the difference is that they don't affect the computer for whatever reason (so the Mac is like an asymptomatic carrier).
Anyway, the reason I say this is because I used to use iMacs in the university computer lab for Internet, word processing, etc. whenever the PCs were full. If I saved something to my flash disk, when I opened it on my PC I would get three or four virus warnings on the very file that was created or modified on the Mac. This wouldn't happen if I used the PCs, since their virus software was always updated.
My cousins all use Macs, and while that's cool, they've stated their goal of converting everyone in our family, despite the fact that they live halfway across the world. They've brought their computers to weddings and can't talk about anything else other than the newest gizmo from Apple. I don't understand the fanaticism devoted to Macs, especially since the only problem I had with my PC in the four years I owned it (the entire time being connected to the virus-laden world-wide web) was a software conflict that caused Matlab to stop working. I solved that by reformatting my hard drive.
Use what you want, and unless someone asks, keep the "virtues" to yourself.
AK
I think this guy is full of it. He says his pc's were riddled with spyware. All that shows is a lack of diligence on the part of the end user. If he's so bright why did he install the spyware. I've never had antivirus or spyware protection installed on any machine and have yet to have had an infection. Stupid is as stupid does. Just another mac zealot. The empty can rattles the most.
That being said, he is a really really funny guy. He did an interview on NPR on all things considered that is absolutly hilarious.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5764627
Beef
I hate these ads. I'm sorry Apple, but since when is music more fun than, I dunno, games? And what sort of idiot ruins their computer because they tripped over the power cord? Oh, and seriously, how long does it take to set up a PC? Plug in the computer, the monitor, keyboard and mouse, and... oh wait. You're done.
Ads aside, I'll never switch to a Mac unless they just plain make them more like PCs. They can run Windows now (best reason to switch that I've ever seen), but... I love being able to take my computer and sit down on the floor and open it up, maybe pop in a new hard drive or whatever. I've always loved taking things apart, be it a computer, a radio, a watch, you name it. So the shiny all-in-one Mac thing doesn't really appeal to me. And just about every "improvement" Apple makes to their OS just makes it look like they're catering to morons. Time Machine? Who is that for? Those rare individuals that delete stuff they still need? It's possible that I didn't recieve a good explanation of that and I'm just missing the point, but still... I guess if you want a machine that can check your email and keep working no matter how many porn sites you visit, Macs are terrific. But then you still have to deal with the price...
I try very hard to be fair, and I think I usually am. In the end, I find I don't hate the Macs at all, just their users.
"I disagree, unless you mean you are a Windows user who uses windows by default, i.e. because Win was what came loaded on the $299 desktop you got at walmart on the day after Thanksgiving, after waiting in line since 4am and headbutting a few other folks out of the way once the doors opened.
These ads are not particularly aimed at well-informed Windows users who are involved and hands-on with their machines - such people generally do a decent job of keeping their pcs running and fixing them when they aren't.
These ads are aimed at people who aren't terribly computer-savvy, and so have been very frustrated as their machines have fallen prey to the vulnerablilities that they don't know enough to remedy. Folks whose perfectly good pcs are crippled by massive spyware, but who don't know how or where to get a decent spyware killer, nor how to reformat and reinstall Windows if it gets that bad.
For people who are mystified by their pcs' shadowy, magical internal workings, and who stare at websites taking 5 minutes to load, etc., wishing to Cripes that there was a way out, Mac shows up during some CSI commercial breaks and tells them "There is a way out, here it is".
The rosy promises they make sound pretty damn good, and there's a lot to be said sometimes for having a lot of the difficult process of software selection taken out of your hands by a large suite of included apps. When I'm having a hard day with my machine, those ads get pretty appealing. But once the rough patch is past, I'm glad to have the Win box I've got.
On a side note, I'm a huge Justin Long fan, just from Dodgeball, and expecially the dvd's outtakes, but there's no way not to feel the massive smug-blast coming off of him in pretty much every one of those ads. I think he's doing a great job of presenting the Mac character the way it's been written, it's just written really irritatingly."
You hit the nail on the head, man. Or woman. I dunno.
Also, Justin Long... I think it's hilarious that Apple chose him, because he's been a clueless dork in every movie/TV show I've ever seen him in. He does it pretty well, which is why he's so funny, but I don't think I would have wanted him representing my product...
Oh well, there are some people that should think a little bit more about this pc vs mac. if you do, probably you will endup saying that they are the same piece of ___ whatever you want to say...
to those people saying that PC's crash all the time, well, that depends on the user. it usually takes more than two years for me to format my PC or fix something, and usually i have to do it because as soon as my brother (who actually 'knows' something about computers) sits on this PC (there are two at home) i'll have to fix something... but it's funny, my dad don't know anything about PC's but he uses my computer everytime and i never have to fix something after he uses it... i guess my brother is visiting too many pornsites full of spywares, using IRC and downloading too much warez...
and it's funny how many times i've seen macs going dead, yup, old macs, new macs, it doesn't matter, it just happens too... of course i've never seen the blue-screen-of-death in a Mac... that's for sure.
about the virus things?, well people, let me tell you that exposure is a vital factor, as more macs reach more people we will listen more bad things about macs...
come one, the mac OS are cracked just like windows is, it just needs more users to make the news bigger. I remember a conference with the ISS, everybody thought that windows was the least secure OS for web servers and that linux was god, maybe that's true in some sort of sense, but when we saw the statistics of web servers attacks the results displayed that most of the hacked servers around the world were running linux or unix based systems not windows, even the proportions revealed that linux were hacked more frecuently than windows, statistically that means windows were more secure than linux... do you get the idea?
both, PC's and MAC's are good tools depending on what you want to do and how you do it. yeah, a mac can do pc things and vice versa, somethings are better with a PC some others on mac... price is another factor, but somethings to put together a PC with the technical specs of a mac is more expensive than buying just a mac, but somtimes mac's prices are just nuts...
it's just a matter of what you prefer, there isn't any good or any better, there are just computers, it's not the computer, it's the user what makes the difference...
"better" when it comes to things like dsektops and laptops, is pretty arbitrary since it would be based entirely on the user experience. yes, 95% of the market shows a PC preference for a variety of reasons (customizability, lower price point, creates pleasing warm tingle in the fanboy gland, etc) but for the other 5%, Macs are better for an equally random list of reasons (stylish exterior, less susceptible to virii/spyware, creates pleasing warm tingle in their fanboy-gland, etc).
It's a matter of personal preference. you may as well argue/gripe/whatever about which flavor of icecream is better.
I use PC and Mac, and to be honest, they're both fairly equal and require the same (minimal, to behonest) level of maintenance to run smoothly and keep me happy.
Its just funny seeing all the rankings here. One sided isnt even the right expression. The war goes on. :)
Lookeee here! I have had Macs die on me loads - in the studios I work in - once you get heavy with a Mac, it foookin dies; I think they're way way underpowered for the price. I built my own Windows box custom spec with stupid amounts of power; quads, 2 X 300 Gig drives DVD duallayer writer BLAH BLAH for less than $1200. I have Pro Tools running on it and it's flawless; I may be blowing my own trumpet here cos I'm chuffed but my point is that there seems a point, in my experience, that a MAC just can't hang with the big boys - and it'll just die.
For advanced computer users; only a custom PC with Windows will do - it's the only way for intensive programs and games. Tamper away and have your own creation work for you. Macs are just plug and play for simpletons in my opinion; and actually you will see that while consumers are slowly slowly buying more MAC's - Movie/Audio studios are slowly slowly buying more PC's. I went to a post production suite in London that had scrapped all their Macs for custom build Windows boxes all built at PC Specialist - and I'm talking sick sick sick amounts of power for a lil more than a dated G5.
BAH; whatever - I guess there's no educating some; MAcs are fashionable and thats all some people care about.
The ads are arrogant and smug...they really turned me off to Apple.
The general rule is that for 6 months, you agree not to do a competitors ads - that applies to any random actor in any commercial but unless you are really, really well known or get a lot of attention - nobody in the industry cares that much. This case is slightly different in two aspects - clearly both were known actors before the ads and now they are pretty identified in the ads ... so the 6 month would tend to apply but again, it's not life or death unless one of them does an HP putting down Apple ... it's not really much of an issue because most "average" people would then credit their credibility so all and all, again, not a huge factor. If you're a centerpiece of an ad campiagn, you are required NOT to be seen with a competitors product in public during the time your ads are running ... though in this case, if he were an actual Pc user, it would actually solidify the part he play so it's an odd and rare situation ... of course, it's all TOO MUCH INFO but others asked ...
I will never understand why people get as heated about their computer platforms as they do religion or politics. I will respond to a few posts that are blatantly un-informed though. First off, Macs are a great tool and so are PCs. I use both to get my work done and I repair both (I am a computer technician). To those that say that one breaks down more than the other is just plain ignorant, they use the same freakin components form the sam freakin vendors!! Do you think apple manufactures their own parts? How about any other PC company? Even if they do put their name on a motherboard it still uses components made by the companies. The magnetic ac jack on the new macbooks and macbook pros would save many of my customers hundreds of dollars. A toshiba motherboard replacement is usually over $300 which is what is necessary when someone trips over their power cord or jams it up against a wall (this is one of the most common problems I see). By the way I have never gotten a virus on my pc but all of my cowerkers have, my friend that owns an ISP has and my family members have, nobody that owns a mac that I know ever has (they don't really exist). Saying that viruses don't exist on a mac because there are less macs may be true to an extent but who cares! the fact is that they have less viruses and spyware what does it matter why? Use what you like but please be informed before you spout off nonsense like all mac users are arrogant that is borderlining on being a bigott if you ask me.
/end rant
Man, look at all those "lowest ranked" pro-PC comments on the first two pages. Some deserve it, some really don't. Most are much less inflammatory than the "highest ranked" anti-PC posts.
Is there some sort of secret Mac message board where they post these links and tell everyone to vote according to brand loyalty without any thought?
Can I access it? If so, can I do it on my desktop PC, or only on my Macbook?
And is it the same format that all the joystiq Sony kids use?
Apple inspires ultra-fierce brand loyalty, but usually in idiots. The intelligent users aren't going to be bothered enough that someone prefers a PC to vote negatively for their posts.
So those of you kicking down any pro-PC post? Congratulations. You make me want to hide my Macbook in public, lest someone think I'm one of you.
For the most part these debates are pointless, one fact that most mac people refuse to acknowledge is the complexity of Windows. Mac OS has a VERY limited hardware set it needs to write to. Windows needs to into account thousands of possible hardware configs from processor to graphics cards to sound cards.
Ferrari's are great but they really do 1 thing, you don't see Ferrari mini vans or Ferrari trucks. Does that make Ferrari any less of a company and does that make toyota any less of a company for making minivans, trucks and hybrids?
Die hard mac users can be the most arrogant opinioniated pinheads, like most of the democratic party. Macs got problems, so do PC's. Do whatever floats your boat. I like to play games so PC's are the better platform for me. So live and let live.
I really appreciate your help.
http://www.laptopbatteryclub.com/
Well, even if Hodgman were truly a PC user, he couldn't exactly go around evangelizing PC's now that he's doing ads for Apple, now could he? That would suck quite a bit of wind out of the sails of Apple's ads. Certainly, he would've had to have signed a contract limiting what he could publically promote outside of Apple's products due to a potential conflict of interest (at least for a time).
But a lot of people use both platforms, so who knows?
If your point is that all fanboys are pathological, then you are correct. I'm sorry about your issues with your cousins.
and the perfect microsoft comeback would be "so wanna go play a game?"
I'm a current mac user and I've never had sooooo many problems before. The OS doesn't crash like 98 used to, but just about every program has crashed on me once, and for the specs I have, it's fucking slooooowwwww assss sshitttttt
I want my pc back :(
Every one here realizes that Linux users laugh at this comercial, right?
A PC running Linux is every bit as usable as a Mac, and even more so
if you do any code development. Factor in the cost and a Linux PC will win any day.
Which means Linux doubley beats Windows in terms of reliability.
Sure it's undisputed that Windows has better games. But the entertainment
industry will always err on the side of making money so.....
Of course if you are going to play games (and I mean really play games)
what you need is some 20 sided die.
I too hate Macs more than life and death and everything that is to be hated, but it is common for businesses and publishers and graphic designers to use them simply cause they never bug out on you and they seriously dont have viruses, but the truth is, or rather the reason to that is because they dont run anything because they think its cool to use their own programming language, and therefore must die a painful and horrible death!
"Enough already!"....The ads are loosing their appeal if you ask me. Apple needs to stop being so "Honda like cutsie" and show the public why people should pay more and change,lol. A "me and my Mac" campaign with famous celebs showing how they utilize their Mac's would have more impact.Apple has great amo but doesn't use it!
Windows and Mac both suck. Their expensive, and slow. Linux on the other hand, is pretty much free, it's crazy fast, runs on just about anything, and can run just about any windows program as fast or faster then windows! Plus have you seen the crazy sweet 3d desktops for Linux out there, it makes vista and mac look like tras And as far as applications go, have you seen gimp lately. It's gotten even better then photoshop! It's got everything you'll ever need a more!
So I wonder, why don't more people use linux?
Wow! every article about something that somehow related to PC or Mac ends up being a comment battlefield! Now I think people are misunderstanding the concept of a comment here! Come on people. I think if Steve and Bill could get along then you guys could too http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=256972720
Example of a comment!!
"Nice interview; So that was how he got the job. BTW I had no idea that he was a mac user since 1984 don't you think it's kind of strange for a PC?"
I have been a Windows user since Win 95 up to XP and i was not impressed. Even more when Vista came along. In 2005 i bought an iMac G5 with Mac OS X and it has been one of the smartest decisions of my computing life. Apple absolutely kicks Microsoft in the gut when it comes to quality, choice, security and the most important point...FUN! Key point- MACS ARE FUN TO USE!
Not only that, but they are powerful computers as well now with the introduction of the latest Intel chips. I can do things on my Mac that i dreamed never, ever, possible on a PC. For example: For once i have been able to create a home movie (using iMovie 6 HD) in high definition that looks soooo stunning, you would think it came off the TV. I'm not even a technically literate person myself, but the software makes you look like a pro!
And heres the good bit! It came on the Mac for free! Thats right... When you buy a Mac, you plug it in, turn it on and hello! All these full version, high quality apps are already pre installed. The most i ever got from a PC when i turned it on for the first time was Calculator. Mine sweeper didn't even work for christ sake! Now Vista has come along (Now don't even start me on that cheap imitation of the Mac OSX system) all those Virus makers must be licking their lips, but thats for a different forum.
Heres another key point- I haven't had to fix, replace, Re-install, mend, call tech support or anything on the Mac since i bought it new and i have to say that alone is an accomplishment! I'm a pretty heavy computer user. My expanding waistline is proof!
Anyway, thats been my 2 cents. P.S: I love Douglas Bailey's comment:
"PC more better than Mac"- "Where "more" equals to MORE waiting, MORE viruses, MORE grief, MORE pain!"
See ya later sports fans!
Kindest Regards,
Dan
(Windows User turned Mac User)