Apple’s “I’m a Mac” guy is back to promote Windows on Arm computers

Former Apple actor Justin Long defected to Intel a few years ago, and is now looking to switch to a Qualcomm-powered Windows PC. During today’s Qualcomm Computex 2024 keynote, Long appeared in a short 30-second skit in which he was bombarded with macOS notifications and complaining screens causing him to start searching for a Snapdragon-powered PC instead.

Justin Long used to star in Apple’s “Get a Mac” TV commercials nearly 20 years ago. Long took on the persona of a Mac guy, humorously mocking the PC guy (actor John Hodgman) for picking up viruses and spyware, or not being able to access creative tools and focusing too much on boring work stuff.

“Things change,” Long jokes to the camera, after searching for a Windows PC on an Arm PC after pop-up notifications in macOS. Popups include warnings about app compatibility, low disk space, battery, and more.

Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon revealed the skit during the closing stages of the company’s “The PC Again” keynote today. He returned to the stage to conclude the keynote by agreeing that, “Yes, things are changing. Things are changing.”

Both Qualcomm and Microsoft have been making a lot of noise about competing with the MacBook Air lately, with Microsoft showcasing benchmarks and battery life claims that show confidence in its recent move to Windows on Arm. The new Copilot Plus PCs, featuring Qualcomm’s Snapdragon

This latest commercial comes just a few years after Intel briefly hired Justin Long to create new ads praising PCs in 2021, mocking Apple’s Touch Bar, lack of multi-monitor support, and color options for the M1 MacBook. Intel’s ads were a reaction to Apple’s move away from Intel processors in its Macs the previous year, when Apple brought back John Hodgman’s role as PC guy so Apple could brag about the M1’s performance and battery life.