Justin Long No Longer A Mac

david.emery writes "Wired is reporting that Apple will be replacing Justin Long as its 'Mac' in their 'I'm a Mac/I'm a PC' ad campaign. John Hodgman, the personification of the PC, is reportedly shooting new commercials." From the article: "Even people who hate the campaign find their core idea compelling enough to endlessly satirize the series on YouTube. The one enduring criticism of the ads is that John Hodgman's PC is funnier and more likable than Justin Long's sleazy hipster doofus Mac. (just what was he saying to that hot new camera from Japan?) Hodgman is a riot (just read "The Areas of My Expertise" if you don't believe me), but I'm not sure how the new series of ads goes on from here. Is there a new Mac? Does Hodgman become the Mac?"

Comments

Re:Movie star?

[BoberFett]

I only ever knew him as the nerdy kid from Galaxy Quest.

Re:Japanese version

[earthbound kid]

I can (sort of) speak Japanese. The three ads are from left to right: "Mac & PC" "Virus" "iLife" (ok, so the last one was a gimme)

In the "Mac & PC" they note that Macs are technically just a kind of personal computer then wonder why Mac gets a special name as part of that, but other computers are just "PCs." Mac suggests its a kind of nickname because people enjoy their Macs. As a nickname for the other other kind of PCs, they suggest "Work," (which sounds like Mac in Japanese).

In "Virus," PC gets one of his thousands of viruses, but Mac says he's OK.

In "iLife," PC jams out on iPod and Mac informs him that Mac comes with iTunes-like software for dealing with movies and photos as well. PC says he has cool software, too. "For instance?" ask Mac. "Um, calculator... Clock..."

That's the Rahmens

[Mantle]

That looks like "The Rahmens", a very well known comedy duo in Japan. Here is a sample of their best work illustrating how to eat sushi: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIb6ZSqal64&feature =PlayList&p=51CAE8F9A6BB401A&index=7

Re:What he said to the Japanese girl:

[Speare]

Cute joke, I guess, but...

• hajimemashite - nice to meet you (lit. "it has begun")
• yoroshiku onegai shimasu - rhetorical how do you do / look forward to working together (lit. "favor me, please")
• arigatou - thank you
  • I couldn't quite make out her response with the other babbling going on, but I think it was like, "nah nah, it wasn't much."

Re:Hodgman should switch: I just did

[vmardian]

In actuality, Hodgman is a Mac user.

Re:Japanese version

[d_jedi]

Ooh kay. That's funny.. why?
It's all gibberish to me..

Re:What he said to the JP girl

[darkitecture]

hajimemashite -him
hajimemashite -her
yoroshiku onegai shimasu. -him

hajimemashite - How do you do?

yoroshiku onegai shimasu - Nice to meet you.

Later:
arigato - thanks
Can't really hear anything else.


Wow, wrong on nearly everything. "Hajimemashite" does not mean "How do you do?", it means "Nice to meet you." If you wanted to say "How do you do?", the polite form would be "O genki desu ka?"

"Yoroshiku onegaishimasu" does not mean "Nice to meet you" as pointed out in my previous paragraph. "Yoroshiku onegaishimasu" is a fairly standard phrase which roughly translated into English means, "Please treat me kindly." It's a phrase used between two people who are just about to engage in some sort of co-operative situation (maybe starting a new job or a new project at work) or more commonly between customer and a vendor. For example, I just asked my local jeweller to make some size adjustments on my new watch and once we finished discussing what I wanted and when it'd be ready for pickup, we both bowed and said to each other, "Yoroshiku onegaishimasu."

You gotta know what you're talking about before offering a translation, dude. Then again, this is Slashdot so I'm surprised someone didn't say they were actually speaking Swahili or something.

Re:What he said to the Japanese girl:

[Anonymous Coward]

Probably...

"ne, ne, dare... [can't make out the jabber] Otaku pokkunai? (giggles)"

Which ends up being something like...

"hey, hey, who is... [can't make out the jabber] Looks a bit like a dork/nerd/maniac, no? (giggles)"

To be expected after his interview with Jay Leno

[Anonymous Coward]

I can see why Justin Long is being replaced as a Mac... especially after his interview with Jay Leno on the Tonight Show.
When you get paid for ads to promote a product, you promote it both on and off the screen.
I was shocked to hear him tell Jay, "I really do not know the difference between Mac and PC... They are all the same to me... I am just an actor...".
Having said that, I am a fan of Justin's movies, but he needs a lesson in product promotion.