Few have been spared the satire of Matt Groening's long running animated sitcom. Last night,
The Simpsons took on Apple, or uh, Mapple for a full 6 minutes of lampoonery -- a pretty harsh ride at a two-joke per minute pace. It all starts when the Springfield mall gets its very own Mapple store, "it's so sterile," gasps Lisa upon entering. Perhaps the best exchange comes from Bart's dubbing of a Steve Mobs' product announcement in front of a crowd of gaping nerds, "You think you're cool because you buy a $500 phone with a picture of a fruit on it. Well guess what? They cost 8 bucks to make and I pee on every one!" A Mapple store employee then angrily responds, "Who dares question the boss we fired 10 years ago and then brought back!" Yuk yuk. Videos after the break for as long as it takes for the copyrighters to wake up.
[Thanks, holycow]
posted Dec 1st 2008 4:00AM
ieye eat your heart out.
you're all losers!
Prepare yourself, for every thread here is going to degrade into an OSX VS Windows argument.
are those supposed to be us waiting for a Steve Jobs keynote? Maybe they gave a shout out to Engadget during the end credits...
Well, I love my Touch, but I loved my left kidney...
"[Thanks, holycow]"
You are welcome Engadget.
lol i swear i could only think of iEye when they were showing Lisa while watching the episode.
Your bra bomb better work, Nerdlinger!
Man, I don't know what's more pathetic. The fact that so many people are so overjoyed that a cartoon has lambasted a company that they are obviously jealous of or the fact that so many grown men admit to watching a cartoon.
You guys have issues if your self esteem is elevated by what Lisa Simpson thinks about a technology company. Jesus. Get a life or a girlfriend.
@Paul:
I hate to break it to you, but Lisa is infact fictional. Everything she says and does is written by adults. Even her voice is produced by an adult. Yes, confusing, isn't it?
Man, I guess it was stupid of me to expect that you cartoon loving intellectuals would understand sarcasm when you read it. Lisa Simpson would be very disappointed at your lack of understanding. On the other hand, Bart should be very pleased. Of course, who knows, I haven't watched The Simpsons since I was in fourth grade, so maybe Bart is the smart one now.
well I'll be a monkeys uncle.
Sorry Paul but your posts are just too dim. I can't read them.
@paul
So I am assuming that you are in the fifth grade now. And who watches The Simpson's when they are in fourth grade? It is a show for adults. Look at all of the other shows that air on the same night and channel it does. King of the Hill, American Dad, and Family Guy (a show that is definitely not for kids).
video link that works as of dec 1 3:25 pm
Looks like the copyrighters woke up, there are clips from the episode on hulu if anyone still wants to see em.
You got the video here:
http://www.viddler.com/explore/shivi2004/videos/3/
No sign of ieye at all
I saw this earlier and i laughed so hard i almost cried. they had to use every apple joke ever lol
Hehe, I guess this means there will never be simpsons episodes to download on itunes
Nope, they left out the Newton. However, it has had a previous appearance in an episode years ago.
They should of had the balls to say Apple straight out.
eat up martha
Very funny - and so very true. Thank you to Groening (and Bart) for saying what had to be said.
I loved every minute, but was somewhat disappointed to see that the USB-sub wasn't firewire.
The key should have been FireWire and then the headquarter into which it docked should have to be USB. Same as with current Macbooks :P. All your equipment is FireWire and all of a sudden the FireWire port is gone on your beloved MacBook.
*Salutes Matt Groening*
Gotta love the simpsons, that's some funny shit.
This episode sucked....and not because they were ripping on apple but because the show hasn't been funny in about 10 years. It's time to cancel this garbage. Seriously, go back and watch an episode from the earlier seasons like "Homer Goes to College", "Homer's Barbershop Quartet" or "Bart on the Road" and compare it to any turd from season 11 through 20. The difference in level of humor and wit is ridiculous.
Excellent!
I guess we can expect this episode on terrestrial UK tv in about 5 years then.
That's why torrent site exist...
Four weeks.
'Double, Double, Boy in Trouble', The Simpsons # 423, Season 20, Ep 3 was shown on Sky One yesterday.
'Mypods and Boomsticks' (# 427) is Episode 7 in Season 20, so assuming they continue one new episode per week it should be on around Xmas.
Sky isn't terrestrial TV.
Anyway, Channel 4 show all the best Simpsons. The new ones suck.
You have me there, I forget about "terrestrial" television ... haven't had any kind of antenna based service since Sky+ came along in 2001.
Who watches terrestrial TV?
How do you think us 'Murricans keep up with Top Gear? Hint: the intartubes are involved.
Think Differently.
Now we know what iEye does in his spare time when he's not trolling Engadget articles.
ly :)
You know, if Apple says "think different," why is it nearly every Apple devotee seems to think the same? What a conundrum!
There is no conundrum as all Apple devotees are thinking differently than all those poor infidels that use Windows.
Lol indeed
Time to start watching simpsons again.
Actually, season 20 has been pretty good so far.
It has been a pretty good season. My only problem with it is that it seems that they're trying to step up the controversy to remain relevant in the age of Family Guy, but often the controversial jokes are a bit too on-the-nose -- like the nonstop terrorism jokes in last night's episode. Somehow it's a bit less funny and a bit more cringe-inducing than when Family Guy makes similar jokes. I'm not sure if they're just not written the same way, or maybe it's just that my expectations of the Simpsons are somewhat different.
Family Guy is known for being more brutally honest and inappropriate, but the Simpsons have come to represent an average American family, so when they're mocking something it seems a bit more "serious" in a way.
"That light confirms it's turned off"
That made me LOL the most.
That was probably the funniest joke.
The pulsing light on my MBP freaks people out when they notice it in a dark room. And when I say people, I mean random chicks I meet at bars. And when I say dark room, I mean my bedroom after I turn off the flourecent pink flamingo lamp. Nothing but the truth.
EPIC
In the eternal words of Nelson Muntz:
HAW HAWWWWWW!!!!!
Is regurgitating internet comment patterns what passes for writing now?
Next week the episode will start with "FIRST!" and end with a Rickroll.
Sheesh.
Someone's got sand up their arse.
Only one thing to do left, blow out the sand...
You're wrong! The Rick Roll will come when you least expect it. It might be at the end, but it might be at the VERY BEGINNING, TOO! It might not even be there at ALL... As far as YOU can tell! But then, you'll start humming it and your hair will grow red and curly and your limbs long and gangly. You have been subconsciously Rick Rolled!
Cartoon Network already Rick rolled all the kids in the country:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=JAPLip-FMyE
Well, if "Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends" hadn't just RickRolled the World live action style on the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, I would have loved to see a RickRoll Couch Gag. That would be perfect. But I doubt Mr. Astley will want to do another RR gag to cash in on his meme-fame.
Technically... The "Back to the Future" Family Guy episode STARTED the whole Rick Roll craze... So, I think you need to aim your bitterness elsewhere. The best comedy imitates reality and sometimes that happens in reverse too.
Yes, Roroco, STARTED it. There's a difference between recycling internet comments and starting something.
And why do you think I should give the Simpsons a pass because of something Family Guy did? What, you relate the two shows just because they're both animated?
I'd love you to tell me how Frisky Dingo (or Xtacles) is like the Simpsons just because they're both animated.
This was the funniest freaking episode of The Simpsons I had seen in a while. It hit the nail right on the head with our obsession with Apple products/Steve Jobs!
(Also, the full episode's up on Hulu for those in the U.S. or those non-U.S. folks using HotSpot Shield, AlwaysVPN, etc.)
Our? Speak for yourself.
Thanks for the tip about Hulu!
FYI: It's not only available in the US anymore, but now also for Canadians!
Now if only they would switch up the commercials during an episode. I hate the new Dodge Ram.
It can't be available in Canada? it's still showing the block for me?
From Hulu.com
"Q : Why can't I watch your videos from outside the U.S.?
For now, Hulu is a U.S. service only."
"our?" No. Maybe you are obsessed, but not me. I haven't spent $1 on Apple products in the past and I won't in the future.
Think Differently.
Biggest joke of them all!
The original slogan "Think Different" was a grammatical mess and I love how they rub it in.
Apple products bother me, but that doesn't make their slogan a grammatical mess.
(implied subject) + (imperative verb) + (adjective) is perfectly legitimate.
Buy low.
Sell high.
Think different.
@Darwin
So, does this work then?
Are dumb-ass.
("You" is the implied subject of course, "Are" is the imperative verb, and "dumb-ass" is the adjective [ie "That dumb-ass bird crapped on my head!])
Darwin is right...
@Brad,
The reason your sentence "Are dumb-ass" doesn't work is because dumb-ass is more a noun than an adjective. Your example proves that you realised this and felt you needed to justify your use.
in your sentence the subject is the "dumb-ass bird" not just the "bird."
Think Different, while it may not conform to traditional English grammar, is perfectly fine and understandable in the modern language. If you're going to argue that it's not you should also admit that half of American English is bullshit and that there should be no use of the suffix "ing."
And to all those voting down Darwin, while it may be fun and the "in thing" to bash apple and vote down anything remotely pro apple, you should realise that right is right and wrong is wrong, and Darwin is right.
I think Darwin is right as well... Perhaps it would be clearer if the slogan was: Think 'Different' but the ' can be left out since it's only a slogan. It's like they're telling you to think of the word "different".
The real beauty of Apple's slogan is how it, while being grammatically correct, manages to make different people think different things and consequently get at each others' throats, marking one another down. It also shows how human nature tends toward a weak-minded, troglodyte way of thinking, with instant self-gratification trumping self-improvement virtually every time. Enjoy.
"Think fast." Same construction as "think different."
Ouch. I am amazed at the lack of grammatical understanding in this thread. The construction--"Think Different"--is incorrect. "Different" in this case is NOT an adjective, but an adverb--it modifies the verb instead of a noun.
Take the following example. Were a sentence to say, "That bird smells different," the meaning would be that the smell of the bird in question is not the same as other birds. If the sentence were to say, "That bird smells differently," it would mean the bird uses a non-traditional method of smelling.
In the same vein, "Think Different" implies one should have different thoughts than others. While this might be a proper construction, it is difficult to believe this is the actual meaning intended by a slogan for a company that sells consumer products. The actual intended meaning in all likelihood is that one should use non-traditional methods of thinking. This is supported by the marketing campaign, which used pictures of people (e.g. Albert Einstein) who thought differently from others. Albert Einstein did not have different thoughts from other people (as a crazy person might); he just used his mind more creatively than others (anyone who has struggled to comprehend his theory of relativity would agree). This was the thrust of the marketing campaign.
Just because a popular phrase ("Think fast") is accepted does not make it proper grammatically. The proper construction here would be, "Think quickly."
The rules of grammar in language may seem trivial, but they exist to avoid the very confusion this marketing campaign caused. The rules of marketing are different, however; the more people talk about something, the better, and in this regard, the campaign was certainly a success.
Any idea how to deal with:
Think Hard
Think Hardly
ehrrm... well... never mind....
And "the funnest iPod ever" clearly just slipped by all of the copyeditors, right?
@Wahoo
Yeah, but if it was "Think 'different'" it would be alright. Since then it would be the same as saying "Think 'Harvard'" for college or "Think 'fashionable'" when trying to describe a person ( say a super-model) to someone and you're helping them visualize it.
To put it more explicitly...
A salesman is trying to sell paperclips. He says:
"What do you think of when you think of paperclips?
Think 'Practical'. Think: 'Flexible'. Think of our brand of paperclips"
In apple's case... Think 'Different'. You're thinking of 'different' as a concept in and of itself. Think of 'different'. Think 'different'.
Anyway, this whole debate just shows that it's an effective slogan which is what matters, not whether it's grammatically correct or not. We're talking about it and subconsciously internalizing Apple's corporate identity.
Think 'Practical' is still not saying the same thing. When you say Think 'Practical' you are grammatically implying that you want me to think of the WORD 'Practical' when I think about paper clips, but you REALLY want me to think of paper clips as practical objects. There is a difference. If I use this same reasoning on the Apple slogan, Think 'Different' should imply that when I use an Apple I should be reminded of the word 'Different' and not that I should think 'Differently' from the establishment. While both of these intentions could be viable, I think it's very clear in their famous '1984' commercial that they want you to Think Differently from the establishment and NOT to literally Think of the word 'Different'.
Honestly the reason I brought this whole subject up is not to imply that Apple didn't accomplish what they set out to do. There is no doubt that the 'Think Different' campaign was well understood by the public and was a great success. I merely thought it was funny to see the Simpsons writers pick up on this bit of overlooked knowledge and rub it in.
The simple fact is that there are thousands of phrases we use every day in Conversational English that are perfectly accepted and understood, yet completely ignore grammatical rules. Do I really care? Not really. It's just a simple fact that is interesting to point out and discuss.
Although as I write this, my mind ponders...
Maybe the old guy on the big-screen in the 1984 commercial is really my 9th grade English teacher, and the hot chick throwing the hammer is really saying "Screw you and your grammar rules, I want to Think Different"? Maybe the joke is on me.
I understand what you're saying, but my point is that I think they DO want to associate Apple with the WORD 'different' not the meaning of the word.... That's what I'm arguing and was trying to explain (but got ranked down). Bear with me and try to understand my train of thought... I don't have a vested interest in this opinion being true, I just want people to see my point.
The reason I think it's urging you to think of the 'word' is because Apple is the corporation, and when you think of their PRODUCTS you think of something that is different (employing the actual MEANING of different... so if 'think different' applies to the products then it is grammatically incorrect). But when you think of APPLE the company you think of 'different'. It's only when applied to the products that you think of something 'that is' different from the rest, rather than just think 'different'.
Eg the MACINTOSH (product) is different [from other computers], APPLE (company) think of 'different' as their buzzword when making their products. Think 'different', make products that are different. So their thinking may be different, but they're not calling attention to that, they're calling attention to themselves thinking of 'different'.
Imagine an army sergeant... Says 'think liberty' to the soldiers because he wants to inspire them. He's not telling them to think 'of' liberty. He's reminding them of the BUZZWORD 'liberty' without actually thinking of liberty itself. When you think of the word rather than the meaning of the word, it's a sort of substitute for all the extra complicated thoughts that makeup our understanding of a word. Think of the WORD itself, and be filled with the emotions you associate with the word, without actually thinking OF the concept of liberty (or in apple's case difference) ITSELF.
Take a look at this ad: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=jULUGHJCCj4
They're clearly appealing to emotion... they are piling various positive emotions into our symbolic understanding of the WORD 'different'... and then, once enough symbolism has been loaded into the word, they tell you 'think different'. Think of the word, and the symbolism loaded into it. Don't just think of the dictionary definition of the word, think abstractly, and in a sense bypass the dictionary definition and go straight to the emotions that the WORD conjures.
So I'm arguing that in that sense (and I'm not saying that's the sense they intended) the slogan can be considered grammatically correct. Whether they thought all of these things out when coming up with the slogan is debatable, but I'm sure plenty of humanities majors work in advertising, so possibly. If they JUST mean 'THINK OF SOMETHING THAT IS DIFFERENT FROM OTHER THINGS WHEN YOU THINK OF APPLE PRODUCTS' and just boiled it down to 'THINK DIFFERENT' then... YES, it is grammatically incorrect. :) ((((Oh and also I HOPE YOU DID NOT JUST GO THROUGH MY WALL OF TEXT ONLY READING the text around WHAT WAS IN CAPITALS.)))) ;)
I have also wasted my time typing all this out xD I should so get sent a free macbook right now lol.
Last point though, (unless there is some glaring flaw in my logic that someone is going to point out now) since when does anyone care about grammar on the internet? :p Perhaps it's not so much the grammare we care about but the opportunity to have an argument hehe...
@ Brad and everyone else
am I really the first person here to point out that "Are" is not an imperative verb? after like 15 responses about grammar?
It was wonderful. Viva El Barto.
Now get ready for subsequent blog posts a few days from now revealing that The Simpsons is made on Macs. Oh, insecurities :(
Then a post saying the app used to make the show has been black listed.
Haha! Was about time! Can't believe they haven't done this before!?
So golden, so true.
Like a warm miniature shower.
Not really sure you should use 'shower' after a post about 'golden'. Kinda puts a whole differnet twist on it!
i think that was intended...
Soooooo jealous
I didn't find it funny. Not one bit.
(Actually I'm an Apple fanboy who found it hilarious.)
As an owner of Apple products, I thought this was funny as hell
I
Aye?
I think it's clear now that Apple's overpriced products and elitist attitude have jumped the shark. Not to mention how scary and Heaven's Gate like the people that work for Apple are. It's all downhill from here Steve Jobs......
Uh, taking it a little too seriously there, Ernie?
Holy generalizations, batman!
When Apple's trendiness wears off, what will result is not zero sales, but rather an adjustment to 'proper' sales levels based on how useful people find the products.
I always thought the Comic Store Guy was more of a Unix/Linux type... But, hey, I stand corrected. BTW, a parody on the reference to 1986? Hilarious!
Or "1984" even.
Don't you mean 1984, where Apple launched the Mac and referenced Orwell 's Nineteen Eighty-Four comparing IBM to Big Brother?
Yeah, I liked the commercial parody. And I was expecting something about the comic Brainiac character :(.
That's why I always like Simpsons.
But why is it glowing? Thats to confirm it's turned off. Classic! Laughed my head off, trust the Simpsons to hit it on the nail every time LOL
so cute !
lol
Wait... is... this... supposed to be true!?!?!?
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!*
*Darth Vader Ringtone: 99¢
The video's at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTH-aLsVFFs