“Missed this weekend’s Saturday Night Live (SNL) skit featuring Apple CEO Steve Jobs? Don’t worry, we’ve got it right here. Watch Steve introduce (and then discontinue) the iPod Micro, iPod Pequeno, and iPod Invisa…and now you can do it right from your own (now-discontinued) video iPod,” iPod Garage writes.
More words about this skit and a link to download it here.
Advertisement: The New iPod with Video. The ultimate music + video experience on the go. From $299. Free shipping.
Connect iPod to your television set with the iPod AV Cable. Just $19.00.
While it’s great that Jobs was lampooned on a once-revered American comedy program, we just wish it could’ve contained even one moment of actual humor. Humor was the intent, correct? It felt like it was simply intended to fill a certain amount of airtime. If you want to download it and watch it, don’t say we didn’t warn you. It’s a complete waste of time, but it’s Apple-related, so we feel obligated. “iPod flea,” the probable source of SNL’s “idea,” was funnier. Perhaps the idea behind the skit was the problem: many variations of it have already been done to death online. Can anyone tell us why SNL is still in production? And before you accuse us of not being able to take a joke, we require an actual joke first before we can prove our ability to take it.
Disclaimer: Funny is in the eye of the beholder. If you think it’s a funny skit, that’s great, at least you got some entertainment and laughter out of it. All we got was 5 minutes we’ll never get back.
I wish someone had SENT the SNL producers the Steve Balmer Money Boy dance clip to show instead – that would have generated more laughs!
For what it’s worth, I found the clip humorous – particularly the capacity “Every photo ever taken!”
SNL has ups and downs. Now it is the middle of a serious long term down but like all previous slumps this one will end. In the mid 80s it got bad and conventional wisdom would have killed it. Then the early nineties Dana Carvey, Mike Meyers, Chris Farley, Phil Hartman, Adam Sandler generation was amazingly funny all the time. Then it hit another slump and was pretty bad until 99-2000 now it is bad again. Someday it will find it’s talent again and enjoyers of fine comedy will reap the rewards of sticking by it during the dark times.
I agree, it just wasn’t very good at all. There’s a lot of fun that could be poked at the iPod, the cult of Mac, Steve’s turtleneck and mannerisms, but this was just…well, crap.
Dear MDN,
The skit is funny. You folks should not be strangers with good humor. Your “MacDailyNews Take” makes me giggle on a daily basis.
I sense that MDN cannot handle this little comic jab aimed at his Jobness with getting its panties all bunched up.
Lighten up.
Of course the satire could have been done better if the actor playing Jobs would have used the word “stunning” a few times.
call me evil.. but I think its funny
It floats!
The skit is funny, but the dude does an awful impression of Steve Jobs. You would think he would actually watch some famous Steve Jobs Keynotes and mimic the actual Steve Jobs. The dude was about as boring to watch as Bill Gates and his Keynotes!
Ughh, SNL is bad nowadays, yes. But the Weekend Update stuff is literally painful to watch. It’s about par with Leno’s monologues. Tina Fey and Amy Poehler make Norm McDonald as the anchorman look good in hindsight.
Mildly amusing. Poor impression though. And where were the water bottles and his odd little nasal clearing snorks?
I disagree… as much as SNL has been lacking lately, Fred Armisen hit a few Steve-isms right on the head. The pauses in between emphasis points, the pulling of ipods out of his pocket, and putting his hands together.
Now the sketch itself can be easily misconstrued as criticism of Apple for constantly releasing new iPods and making the ones you own obsolete, but who in their right mind doesn’t know that every tech company does that anyway?
Shame on MDN for their usual overreacting mac-bias… though it’s usually an entertaining read most of the time. But this was an example of MDN not being able to take a simple joke.
A wise man once said “Parody is protected by law, even if the subject doesn’t get it.”
It would have been funny had it not been a joke that has been done to death on the net already, although granted not everyone will be aware of that. Sadly it was a pretty average sketch execution wise, with little to no real thought put into getting any sort of characterisation of Steve Jobs. Similarly the presenters didn’t seem to have any real script.
I think it was very ok nothing at all special.
Hasn’t Letterman been doing this joke for a year or 2 now?
Oh… iPod ‘flea’? Not funny. Was ok for a minute, but hearing Ride by The Vines looped 15 times is not the best way to parody an Apple commercial.
I also think the skit was funny — not knee slapper, rolling-in-the-aisles hilarious, but charming and entertaining none-the-less. And it reinforces the notion that Jobs and his company’s well known creations have entered a revered status in pop culture.
For me best Steve Jobs impression has to go to Noah Wyle. Shortly after Pirates of Silicon Valley was released, at a keynote Noah came out in the classic jeans and Black turtleneck, The impression was so good it took the audience a while to realize it wasn’t Steve. If anyone has a link to this keynote it is worth a look.
Yeah that was funny, but the impression was terrible.
DudeMac is right. It was funny. Some people have to lighten up. If apple implemented floating devices into it’s products, I would feel alot safer touting around my pb and my iPod—let’s see what rolls out in the next keynote!
and by the way, Amy Poehler rocks.
i think it was amusing at times, could have been more, and was a bit rough but so what……. not a waste of time and does reference the frequency of seeming ipod development.
I agree with Dudemac. However I only agree with one of his posts…I just can’t work out which one I agree with. The world is so confusing.
Look that was a great skit. I especially liked the upgrade message. Oh so true. He did sound a bit like Bill Gates so I guess this guy could do one on the Gatesmeister. Does that mean that if SNL does a skit on Gates then PC World will say that it’s not funny? Come on guys if we can’t laugh at ourselves then we can’t laugh at others…like the other Steve (Balmer).
…although SNL might have miss a better ending…
The iPod Invisa could have been implantable…so that buyers “will always hear music in their heads…”
MacDailyNews Take: While it’s great that Jobs was lampooned on a once-revered American comedy program, we just wish it could’ve contained even one moment of actual humor. Humor was the intent, correct? It felt like it was simply intended to fill a certain amount of airtime. If you want to download it and watch it, don’t say we didn’t warn you. It’s a complete waste of time, but it’s Apple-related, so we feel obligated. “iPod flea,” the probable source of SNL’s “idea,” was funnier. Can anyone tell us why SNL is still in production? And before you accuse us of not being able to take a joke, we require an actual joke first before we can prove our ability to take it.
once again, MDN blows it. i bet you guys find that Helsbad thing funny.
It was funny for the first five seconds.
Rather lame. Mad TV would have done a much funnier bit I’m sure.
I’m thrilled and amazed at the mainstream attention. It has to be good news for Apple in general. I saw a Ford commercial that started off with a quick view of someone listening to an iPod. It fast forwarded to other kinds of high tech. and then the Ford innovation spiel. It had nothing to do with selling or promoting iPods but did so inadvertently. I’m still seeing snowball iMacs and PowerBooks in ads and on tv programs and occasionally the new flatscreen iMac. It’s funny too how they try to cover up the Apple logo.
One again, carl carlson blows it, proving his “special” status here:
http://macdailynews.com/index.php/weblog/comments/7658/
When you learn how to read, carl, perhaps you’ll be able to discern between humor and a deadly bomb like SNL’s skit.
come on, that was funny. (not really laugh till it hurts funny, but funny).
Ok, it’s not up to the standards of SNL of yester-year, but for the current stuff it passes.
Now, you old timers might remember the spoof ad they did for the Mac. “Power to crush the other kids”, now, that WAS good.
mdn you run the risk of being seen as a rabid apple lover, not being able bear to see your loved one humiliated in any way. the skit may not have been great but it was good for apple. it just shows how omnipresent the ipod is – the nano and the ipod with video both get big boosts from the two girls and the jobs thing, well it doesn’t have to be that great to match most of snl anyway but how much of the audience would ever have seen a keynote to judge the impersonation. come on guys. you need to get some perspective. oh and don’t start telling people what is and isn’t funny. the national socialists tried to do that in germany in the 30s and look what happened to them!
It was funny. I bet G. Dubya almost coughed up a popcorn when he heard “iPod pequeño.” I know that word! Duh, duh…well, I knew it once.
teresa green,
1. MDN said it’s great that Jobs was lampooned.
2. MDN was right: it is painfully unfunny and if you don’t think so, you’re in serious need of quality comedy entertainment.
3. MDN has a right to their opinion and I agree with them: painfully unfunny.
4. MDN wasn’t unable to bear Jobs being lampooned, MDN just wished it was a funny skit instead of being an unfunny waste of time.
I thought it was a great little riff! His Steveness’ aurora wasn’t tarnished – everything in good fun.
As far as SNL’s supposed ‘downward slide’… they seem to be the only ones not afraid to take it to the Bush administration – even before his ratings were in the 30%’s.
For that, SNL (and the Daily Show) will always have a home on my TiVo.
If Jack Kennedy could say: “Ich bin ein Berliner,” then I can say: “Yo soy Mejicano.”
People still watch SNL? Why?
MadTV is much better; I never miss it.
Unfunny? That was pretty damned amusing, I thought. A rather accurate impression. I am starting to think this site is run by butt-sniffers in Apple’s PR Department.
I like this site allot and visit it everyday. I understand that the writers and editors are biased towards Apple, but lately it has gone a little too far. The “Apple can do no wrong” mentality and the immediate dismissal of any article reflecting the smallest amount of pessimism towards the company is starting to chip away at the sites integrity. If you can’t see the humor in the Steve Jobs SNL skit, you are truly an insecure bunch!
Reality Check? How ironic.
MDN’s “immediate dismissal of any article reflecting the smallest amount of pessimism towards” Apple? Explain these:
http://macdailynews.com/index.php/weblog/comments/7644/
http://macdailynews.com/index.php/weblog/comments/7643/
http://macdailynews.com/index.php/weblog/comments/7639/
Those examples of articles that “reflected pessimism” towards Apple were from MDN’s posts on last Friday alone.
MDN, you need to lighten up. It’s embarassing. In fact, I think SNL should write a skit satirizing over-serious Apple fanatics who would fight to the death for a lock of Steve’s thinning hair. Ugh, get a life. I love the Mac news, but your tedious, humorlous takes are annoying.
Its was a funny bit. They guy nailed a few of Steve Jobs’ physical and verbal characteristics and poked at the increasingly small size and rapid changes coming to the iPod lineup. Well done. Not great, but well done.
As to SNL, haven’t they been doing these bits for about 30 years? Sometimes they’re good, sometimes great, sometimes not. But they’re still doing it. Good for them.
Tera Patricks
Mac360
our team has worked so hard this………by the way Microsoft sucks…..I RULE!!!!!!!!!……Cmon baby!!!!! (fist-pump)!! YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!
I think you’re brain dead. I thought the skit was funny and I think that, in general SNL is funny.
I love my Powerbook but your brainwashed cult-like obession with Apple is a little tough to take, and seems to have affected your ability to enjoy anything.
Tina Fey and Amy Poehler are SO FSCKING HOT when they do their faux lesbian thing.
They should’ve done a bit on the iVibe attachment.
There’s two type of people in this world, those that like SNL better than Mad TV and those that like Mad TV better than SNL.
Funny as hell I thought.
No offense MDN – but I thought it was hilarious. I am a MAC guy through and through – and I didn’t take any offense to the humor that was evident in the skit.
I agree with a few above – dont take your love for Apple to a cult obsession where you cant even find the humor in things like this. A little biased opinion.
Thanks for the link though!
RE: Why is is that MDN always posts links to the things they dislike? They dislike the video and post a link to it. They, along with everyone else who has a brain, cant stand Rob Enderle – yet they link to his POS site anyway.
snl rules. this was funny.
MDN, you guys are too hypersensitive about apple and steve jobs.
lighten up.
they weren´t making fun of a god, just a guy and his product.
Nate – the reason they post the link is that no one would believe MDN if they didn´t.
“There’s two type of people in this world, those that like SNL better than Mad TV and those that like Mad TV better than SNL.”
Actually, there are 10 types of people in this world: those who understand binary, and those who do not.
MDN is written by a bunch of humorless, and nameless, monkeys who can’t stand the idea that a little fun was poked at Jobs.
tera hit it on the head… people who idolize any past “glory years” of SNL have forgotten the scores of clunker skits they’ve had… along with an almost 30 year tendency to 1) beat anything funny to death by doing it over and over and over, and 2) base a skit on a clever idea that has no resolution, so once the humorous aspect has played out, it just ends unceremoniously.
every cast has had good and bad skits in the show’s history. when they’re on, they’re outstanding. when they’re bad, they’re beyond dreadful. there’s very few in the middle.
SNL hasn’t been funny since John Belushi died. For the record, that was in the late seventies.
I thought the skit was kind of funny, but would have been better if the guy got Steve down a little better. The video was pretty bad but it didn’t look like he really looked like him either. Still, I laughed out loud a few times.
I haven’t watched SNL for a few years but I really miss the days of Billy Crystal, Chris Guest, and Martin Short. I guess it was only one year that they were all there but I think that was the best the show has ever been.
I thought it was a great little riff! His Steveness’ aurora wasn’t tarnished – everything in good fun.
As far as SNL’s supposed ‘downward slide’… they seem to be the only ones not afraid to take it to the Bush administration – even before his ratings were in the 30%’s.
For that, SNL (and the Daily Show) will always have a home on my TiVo
Get a grip people. You can’t find the humor in the Steve Jobs skit? Most people don’t keep up with everything Apple on a day to day basis. They just got used to the idea of the mini and all of a sudden it’s gone. Now comes the Nano when they just became familiar with the mini. It wasn’t that long after Apple upgraded all of the 4th generation to color that they released the 5th generation. So, perhaps you should step back and look at things from something other than your prospective. I have been a mac lover since 2001 and I thought the skit was great. Sure, he didn’t act that much like Steve Jobs but the upgrades that came within seconds of each other was accurate to the viewpoint of most people.
Also, think of it this way. If Apple has finally reached the point where it’s popularity is so high that there is a parody of it on SNL, isn’t that a good thing? It means that the public is finally aware of Apple as a company and that can mean only great things for the market share. Imitation is the most sincere form of flattery after all.
Speaking of “The Power to Crush the Other Kids” skit done by SNL many years ago, does any know where to find a good copy of this for veiwing/download?
People who think the last time SNL was funny was before Belushi died haven’t watched SNL since Belushi died. If you are telling me the Phil Hartman/Chris Farley/Mike Meyers/Adam Sandler years weren’t any good then you have a sad sense of humor.
It’s popular to say that SNL hasn’t been funny since Belushi, the same way it’s popular for people to say that there is no software available for the Mac.
Neither is true, but that doesn’t stop idiots from saying it.
I agree with someguy. The sketch was funny if you have watched several Stevenotes and know of his mannerisms. They weren’t making fun of Steve himself. Why does MDN always have to make something from nothing. I visit this site over a dozen times a day but its getting embarrassing to read the “MacDailyNews Take”. I make sure that no one I know or work with know that I read this site as they might think that I actually think like some MDN staff members. Like several readers have said already, lighten up and for me personally just stop giving your take on articles you post.
SNL lame… iFea very funny
I am well acquainted with “Phil Hartman/Chris Farley/Mike Meyers/Adam Sandler”, and I stand by my statement. I don’t find these guys funny in the least, and Sandler and Myers have gone on to make some phenomenally horrible movies (Austin Powers 2 and 3,for example). But humor is a personal thing and you are entitled to your opinion.
TomB – you sound like you have a stick jammed way up your ass.
Try getting yourself “well acquainted” with a method for it’s removal. It might then be possible for you to find that sense of humor you lost back in the 70’s.
That’s a bit abusive, don’t you think? We’re just talking TV here.
I thought it was really funny.
relax – take a pamprin
“relax – take a pamprin”
Now that’s funny!
I’ve never posted a comment before, but this warrants one. You guys make Mac users look bad with your hypersensitivity toward the platform. Whether the skit was funny or not (I would call it, “slightly amusing,” like most stuff on SNL) is irelevent. Apple got attention on one of the most popular network T.V. shows and you guys complained about it.
People won’t switch to Mac if their only impression of Apple is that it’s a small company supported by a rabid fanbase. They WILL however, be more inclined to consider the company if they read/watch about it in mainstream media outlits (tech shows/journals/blogs aren’t mainstream). If anything, this skit helped Apple by bringing awareness to the company and your take on it has hurt Apple by making the users look like humorless reactionaries.
razorsharp:
“While it’s great that Jobs was lampooned on a once-revered American comedy program, we just wish it could’ve contained even one moment of actual humor.”
Seems like MDN appreciates the fact that Jobs got SNL attention, they just wish it wasn’t such a lame skit. Like MDN wrote: “Funny is in the eye of the beholder.”
To me, it simply wasn’t funny.
SirROM:
“McIntosh Jr.: The Power to Crush the Other Kids”
Link is here:
http://www.esm.psu.edu/Faculty/Gray/graphics/movies/powertocrush.mov
“Honey I Shrunk the iPod”
The impression reminded me more of Rick Moranis’ character, Wayne Szalinski, in “Honey I Shrunk the Kids.”
Actually, there are 10 types of people in this world: those who understand binary, and those who do not.
That joke should go into the tech geek hall of fame! Absolutely brilliant…
…I really miss the days of Billy Crystal, Chris Guest, and Martin Short. I guess it was only one year that they were all there but I think that was the best the show has ever been.
I wholeheartedly agree! I call that year the ‘ringer’ cast (like when a company ‘hires’ a really good ball player solely to win the softball championship). The casts immediately before and after the ringer cast were atrocious…
3/10.
Would have been funnier if he gave one of the babes some tounge or felt up their breast.
Thank you Ampar!!!
That’s the best quality version of that old skit I have ever seen. I REALLY appreciate you making it available!!
SirROM
“Actually, there are 10 types of people in this world: those who understand binary, and those who do not.
That joke should go into the tech geek hall of fame! Absolutely brilliant…”
I believe it was put into the tech geek hall of fame in 1994.
I got a chuckle or two. Sort of clever.
Hey, Apple got free advertising, and the jokes were not at anyone’s expense. It was really a long, free, iPod commercial. (They did mention the nano and the new video capable iPod.)
Excellent for Apple.
Michael
The iPod flea looks like a winner. It’s the most portable player around and is gonna win Jonathan Ive more design awards. Storage is an issue, but will certainly be addressed in a future revision. I want one. GO FLEA !
It would have been hilarious if “Steve” at the end would’ve introduced the new iPod Lugz commercial.
FactChecker your a lunkhead. even my dog thouht it was funy.
Tina Fey is so hot, if they’d have asked me to do the piece, I would have. And I would have done it better! That dork who does The Falconer is so lame, he’s way less funny than even that lamer Will Farrell.
I laughed. Guess Apple should not have needlessly killed firewire and boot drive on the new ones. Thanks for the middle finger Steve. Glad he got it back via the SNL skit. The black turtle neck and jeans bit is getting old. Change your damn clothes!
Oh, you MDN people should lighten up. It was funny, just not howlingly funny. Steve Jobs can take a poke now and again. Plus, so the thing has been done on the internet. It hasn’t been done on TV yet. I don’t think Fred Armisen was trying to do a dead-on Steve Jobs so much as just evoke him for the gag. Anyway, I know MDN people are all true believers, but aren’t the Softies the ones who are supposed to have no sense of humor?
“It floats!”
Ok so I guess that whenever some comedy show parodies Apple, we are FORCED to find it funny?
How does the fact that some individuals here didn’t find this particular skit funny justifies all the attacks in the comments?
Did you even need to read the disclaimer? These things should be obvious:
“Disclaimer: Funny is in the eye of the beholder. If you think it’s a funny skit, that’s great, at least you got some entertainment and laughter out of it.”
I forgot to add my opinion.
I didn’t find it funny, I have my reasons. The “iPod that contains only one song” or “a billion songs” are jokes that Letterman makes since more than two years ago, so it’s nothing new, nothing surprising to me.
As we can see, some Mac and iPod fans did like it, some didn’t, just like in real life, not everyone likes any particular comedy skit.
But let me bet that every Mac and iPod hater did like it, even though they probably hopped that they would be really mean towards Apple. Who are the sheep again? Apple-haters… No critical sense whatsoever
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well, instead of a declaration that this skit was “unfunny” and posting the link anyway (a move I still don’t understand), how about posting the link and letting people decide for themselves whether or not it was funny?
sheesh, I’m usually for this pro-mac bias, but this anti-humor bias is kinda pushing it.
Given that I feel that I feel whoever posts the MDN Take has perhaps the most excruciatingly, painfully absent sense of humor ever, I’m not sure I should post this, but…
SNL sucks. SNL sucks hardcore. But, every now and then, a skit such as “Colonel Angus” (if you know it, you know it) comes up and is so shockingly hilarious, it makes me okay with SNL for another week or so. But, it is true, I am no longer a regular viewer.
The sketch was a’ight… not great but a’ight. However, SNL totally missed the most popular thing that Steve says:
“But there is one more thing.”
And because of that, SNL… you’re fired!
Sorry guys! Thanks for the invitation so much. I will try to come back as soon as possible.
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