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SNL's Fred Armisen talks Steve Jobs, love of tech at Macworld

Fred Armisen of SNL and Portlandia speaks at Macworld/iWorld. | Source: Forbes

In an interview with Forbes after his Macworld/iWorld keynote on Friday, comedic actor Fred Armisen shared a story about meeting late Apple cofounder Steve Jobs, and gave his feelings on how technology affects his work.


Armisen, Saturday Night Live's go-to Jobs impersonator, was eager to speak at Macworld and said he's been a loyal Apple user since receiving a hand-me-down Mac from a friend in 2000, reports Forbes.

After appearing as Jobs in a few SNL sketches, including the popular "iPod Invisa" bit where he introduces an iPod so small it can't be seen, Armisen had a chance meeting with the late tech guru at an Apple Store in New York. While the exact location was not mentioned, it is thought to be the Fifth Avenue outlet, as Armisen refers to a major store opening.

"There were people like, 'Do you want to meet Steve? Wait here, wait here, wait here,' and all of a sudden he appeared," Armisen said. Upon seeing Armisen, Jobs pointed and, in reference to the "Invisa" skit, made a pinching motion with his fingers as if holding a tiny iPod, giving a knowing nod. The two made small talk on product design and tech in general.

Armisen Jobs
Armisen doing the "iPod Invisa" bit.

As for how the actor was able to channel Jobs in his impressions, he said the Apple cofounder always loved numbers and would pace around the stage during a keynote, emphasizing exact statistics.

"Over one…million…downloads. A million downloads," Armisen said, doing his Jobs impression. "I loved it, it was very hypnotic."

The comedian went on to discuss how technology affects his current project, Portlandia, which has in the past featured Apple products like the iPad and iPhone. A video of the interview is embedded below.