D'oh! The Simpsons bite Apple
Apple and Homer Simpson hooked up earlier this year at Macworld 2008.
(Credit: Daniel Terdiman/CNET News)The only thing they forgot was a desperate attempt by old Gil to sell an iPod Hi-Fi.
Springfield got its first Apple store during Sunday night's episode of The Simpsons, allowing the show's writers to devote a good chunk of the show to satirizing Apple (Mapple), CEO Steve Jobs (Mobs), and "myPods." The show makes several tongue-in-cheek references to Apple cultural touch-points like the Power Mac Cube, the "Braniac Bar," and the famous 1984 commercial in a scene featuring Comic Book Guy, who is definitely a Mac user.
You can find the episode on Fox.com and Hulu, but the Fox lawyers seem to have placed a call to the YouTube people already.
It's not the funniest Simpsons parody ever, but that show lost its fastball a long time ago. Apple references have been popping up in The Simpsons for years; perhaps the most famous one came when one of Springfield Elementary's bullies tried to take a memo on his Apple Newton to "Beat up Martin," which the quirky handwriting recognition software translated to "Eat up Martha," prompting the bully to just chuck the thing at Martin.
Tom Krazit writes about the ever-expanding world of Internet search, including Google, Yahoo, online advertising, and portals, as well as the evolution of mobile computing. He has written about traditional PC companies, chip manufacturers, and mobile computers, spending the last three years covering Apple. E-mail Tom. 
What? The Simpsons is one of the most solidly funny shows on TV today - and has been for nearly 20 years. How dare you diss The Bartman?
Still, Best Show Ever.
Also: hi Tom!
And don't get me started on the film... i will probably write more than Tom did...
OTOH, last night's show was pretty funny - esp. the under-sea corporate headquarters and the ginormous USB-stick submarine that took you to it.
Now if you want Mac references by the bucketload, you have to go hit-up Groening's other show, Futurama (Comedy Central carries it). IMHO, it beats the Simpsons by quite a bit. The series is lousy with Macintosh refs (esp. among the robots) and, unlike The Simpsons, still hits hard and fast in the funny department when new episodes come out (in spite of the massive years-long hiatus).
The 1984ish monitor smash was pretty good. Jeff Albertson, the Comic Book Guy, played the part of Anya Major the runner and hammer thrower in the original ad.
So it ain't all hype. Apple really makes (more often than not) insanely great products that people just learn to love 'cuz of the care and attention brought into their development.
- by wildboyizzy December 2, 2008 3:11 PM PST
- Yes, Apple products do cost a bit more. It costs more money to drive a Rolls-Royce. But if you're happy with your Ford Pinto, go nuts. Meanwhile, we Apple worms will be enjoying the elegance, ease of use, and sophisticated technology that you won't get to experience for years. And what I like most is that one doesn't have to be a computer geek to use the stuff.
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- by Mark_Anderson December 3, 2008 3:53 PM PST
- Holy false analogies, Batman!
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(17 Comments)I don't want to know how to build a watch, I want to know what time it is.