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Apple ends Mac event with the return of John Hodgman as the PC Guy

He's not pleased with longer battery life in the new Macs, apparently.

Abrar Al-Heeti Technology Reporter
Abrar Al-Heeti is a technology reporter for CNET, with an interest in phones, streaming, internet trends, entertainment, pop culture and digital accessibility. She's also worked for CNET's video, culture and news teams. She graduated with bachelor's and master's degrees in journalism from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Though Illinois is home, she now loves San Francisco -- steep inclines and all.
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Abrar Al-Heeti
2 min read
PC Guy

He's back, and he's not happy about his new competition.

 Screenshot by Abrar Al-Heeti/CNET

Apple ended its Tuesday Mac event with a brief throwback, bringing out John Hodgman in a "one more thing" moment to reprise his role as the PC Guy featured in old Apple commercials. After the company unveiled a new MacBook Air, Mac Mini and MacBook Pro powered by Apple's own M1 chip, it showed a brief clip of the PC Guy pushing back on updates like longer battery life and eliminating fans in the computers.

"Is there time for questions?" Hodgman asks in full character, dressed in a stodgy gray suit, tie and glasses. "Because I have one: Why make all these advancements? What's the point? 

"Oh, you're so quiet now. Look, I'm a machine. I'm proud of it," he says before making loud humming sounds mimicking a fan.

He continues: "Longer battery life -- plug it in! Where are you going? Just plug it in."

The PC Guy also defended his speediness by running in place, saying while out of breath, "I'm still fast! Check it out. I've still got it."

To drive home the point, Apple couldn't end without one last dig at PCs.

"My battery's drained," Hodgman says. "I've gotta go plug in. Good luck."

Apple ran a series of "Get a Mac" ads in the first decade of the 2000s depicting one guy as a Mac and another as a PC, with the PC Guy -- Hodgman -- constantly trying to validate his own features and specs against those of the Mac. While the Mac was represented as a young hipster, played by Justin Long, Hodgman played a nerdier fellow trying his best to keep up with technological innovations. Adweek recognized the series as the best advertising campaign of the decade.

See also

Apple's Tuesday event followed the company's announcements in September for its newest iPads, Apple Watches and Apple One subscription service, and in October for its HomePod Mini smart speaker and iPhone 12 lineup.

Watch this: Apple reveals first MacBook Air with new M1 chip