Get a Mac

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The two characters from the ads who personify a PC (left, John Hodgman) and a Mac (Justin Long).

The Get a Mac campaign is a current television advertising campaign created by Apple Computer.

The ads, which are directed by Phil Morrison, star actor Justin Long and author and humorist John Hodgman as a Macintosh (Mac) and a PC, respectively. The format for each commercial is similar: Long introduces himself as a Mac and Hodgman introduces himself as a PC (assumed to be running the Microsoft Windows operating system); then one or more facets of computing discussed with Mac being depicted as either being capable of something PC is not, or being quicker, easier, or better at them. Each ad takes place in front of a blank white background. Some more recent ads have shifted focus away from comparing features of the computer systems to a more general comparison.

The Get a Mac campaign is the successor to the popular "Switch" ads first broadcast in 2002. Arguably, the two are most similar in that actors in both campaigns were filmed against a plain white background. Apple CEO Steve Jobs introduced the campaign during a shareholders meeting the week before the campaign started. The campaign also coincided with a change of signage and employee apparel at Apple retail stores detailing reasons to switch to Macs.

On November 13, 2006, Justin Long posted at a fan site that, contrary to recent reports, he is continuing to film new Mac ads.

As of November 27, 2006, there are eighteen advertisements — all are available for viewing online at Apple's website. [1]

1 Spots
- 1.1 WWDC
2 Release dates
3 Cultural references
4 Parodies
5 Criticisms
6 See also
7 References
8 External links

[edit] Spots

The advertisements are presented in alphabetical, not chronological, order.

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Accident — A wheelchair-bound PC, who is wearing casts on his arms, explains that he fell off his desk when someone tripped over his power cord. Mac points out that the MacBook's magnetic power cord prevents against such an occurrence.

Angel/Devil — Mac gives PC his iPhoto book to look at. Suddenly, angel and devil versions of PC appear behind him. The angel encourages PC to compliment Mac on his work, while the devil prods PC to insult Mac and destroy the book. This is a spoof of a scene from the 1978 film, National Lampoon's Animal House.

Better — Mac praises the PC's ability with spreadsheets, but explains that he is "better with life stuff", such as music, pictures, and movies. PC defensively asks what Mac means by "better" to which Mac replies that it's easier for Mac to make a website or photobook. PC replies, "Oh, that kind of better. I was thinking of the other kind." The ad cuts to the ending splash screen with Mac saying off-camera, "What other kind?"

Better Results — PC and Mac discuss making home movies. PC asks to see Mac's and Gisele Bündchen walks out as his movie. Mac asks to see PC's and he reluctantly reveals a man with a hairy chest, a blonde wig, and wearing a dress similar to Bündchen's.

Counselor — Mac and PC visit a counselor to resolve their differences, and they try to compliment each other. However, PC's resentment is too deep and the counselor recommends seeing the two together twice a week.

Gift Exchange — Mac and PC begin by greeting viewers with "Happy Holidays" before the usual introductions. Mac has a gift that he gives to PC, who is hoping for a C++ GUI programming guide. He is disappointed to see that it is a photo album of previous Get a Mac ads. Mac reveals that he made it in iPhoto and asks if there is anything for him. PC hands him a C++ GUI programming guide with a bow on it.

iLife — PC is listening to an iPod and praises iTunes. Mac replies that the rest of iLife works just as well and comes on every Mac. PC responds by listing the "cool apps" that he comes with, like "calculator" and "clock."

Meant for Work — PC looks haggard and is covered in stickers. Mac asks PC what happened, and he replies that he has been given to kids, whose activities, such as making movies and blogging, are wearing him out. He complains that, unlike Mac, he is meant for work.

Networking — Mac and PC hold hands to demonstrate their ability to network with each other. A Japanese woman, representing a new digital camera, enters and takes Mac's hand. Mac introduces himself with the standard Japanese (sp?) Hajimemashite, yoroshiku onegaishimasu. ("Hi, nice to meet you.") She then hands him a digital print, which he thanks her by saying (sp?) Arigatou ("Thank you"). After handing him the digital print she asks Mac, referring to PC, (sp?) Ne, ne, ne, Darren tesa, Otaku pokunai? ("Hey, Darren is a geek, isn't he?") PC is utterly confused, and says to the Japanese product, Buon giorno ("Good Day" in Italian) in futile attempt to converse.

Out of the Box — Mac and PC are in boxes discussing what they will do with they get out of the box. Mac talks about all that he can do right away, while PC says he must download new drivers, remove pre-installed trial software, and read manuals. Mac gets out of his box and goes right to work, while PC stays in his box and states that "the rest of me is in some other boxes."

Restarting — Mac and PC explain how they both have a lot in common, and how Microsoft Office is Mac compatible as well. Shortly after, PC freezes, and wakes up again repeating "I'm a PC". PC explains to Mac that he had to restart. "You know how it is." Mac replies that he actually doesn't. PC freezes again, and Mac leaves to get help from IT, instructing the viewer to keep an eye on him.

Sales Pitch — Mac introduces himself as usual, but then PC says "And buy a PC." Mac asks him about this comment, to which PC responds that the growth in sales of Macs is forcing him to push sales. He continues with a number of sales pitches, eventually holding up flashy red signs with pitches.

Self Pity — PC asks Mac why he is wearing a suit. Mac explains that he "does work stuff too" and has been running Microsoft Office for years. PC grows panicky and then despondent and collapses on the floor, begging to be left alone to depreciate.

Touché — Right after PC gives his "I'm a PC" introduction, Mac replies, "And I'm a PC too." PC is confused and Mac explains that he can run both Mac OS X and Windows XP, calling himself "the only computer you'll ever need." To this, PC mutters, "Oh... touché." Mac explains that one only says "touché" after he or she makes a point and someone else makes a counterpoint, but PC continues to misuse the word.

Trust Mac — PC is in a trench coat with dark glasses and a false mustache, trying to hide from spyware. PC offers Mac a disguise, but Mac declines, claiming he doesn't have to worry about spyware and viruses with Mac OS X.

Viruses — PC has caught a new virus that's been going around and continues to sneeze as Mac tries to help him. PC warns him to stay away and not be a hero. Mac replies that viruses don't affect him. PC crashes, which is simulated by PC fainting.

Work vs. Home — Mac explains how he likes doing "fun stuff" like movies, music, and podcasts. PC says he also does "fun stuff" like time sheets, spreadsheets, and pie charts. Mac says it's hard to capture a family vacation using a pie chart; PC rebuts by showing a pie chart representing "hangout time" and "just kicking it".

WSJ — PC snatches the Wall Street Journal Mac is reading and sees that Walt Mossberg called Mac "the finest desktop PC on the market at any price." PC then lies that he also received a great review, but is caught offguard when Mac asks for details.

[edit] WWDC

While not strictly a part of the ad campaign, Hodgman and Long appeared in a video prior to the keynote at the 2006 Worldwide Developers Conference. Hodgman's character, PC, claimed to have a message from Steve Jobs, in an attempt to stall Mac development. He starts to go off-topic about his vacation with Steve, but when Mac arrives he says he's just preparing for the next ad and starts to sing.

[edit] Release dates

The different spots were released gradually:

The original set of "Viruses", "Restarting", "Better", "iLife", "Network", "WSJ", were launched on May 2, 2006.
"Work vs. Home", "Touché", and "Out of the Box" were released on June 12, 2006.
"Accident", "Angel/Devil" and "Trust Mac", were released for the campaign on August 27, 2006 for the 2006 Primetime Emmy Awards.
In September, three new commercials made their debut on Canadian television, one ("Better Results") features Gisele Bundchen alongside Hodgman and Long in an advertisement which had been sighted at certain Apple Stores. They were published to Apple's website on October 9, 2006.
In October, 2006, the 3 new ads, "Better Results", "Counselor", and "Self Pity", were sighted on US network TV.
In late November, 2006, 3 new ads were released, "Gift Exchange," "Sales Pitch" and "Meant for Work."

[edit] Cultural references

On an episode of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Hodgman was portraying a computer expert on a story about the internet. During the bit, host Stewart prodded Hodgman to utter his "I'm a PC." line from the ads.

[edit] Parodies

There have been a several parodies of this ad campaign on the internet, such as:

A series of spoofs by TrueNuff which have received over two million downloads and introduces a Linux character into the mix.
A video by Canadian video house Loading Ready Run.
A comic strip made by Ctrl+Alt+Del creator Tim Buckley, which specifically parodied the original "virus" ad, though with jabs at the commercial's presentation and Mac computers themselves.
The introduction video of Intel Developer Forum 2006 opening keynote is a spoof showing that both PCs and Macs are both using Intel Core 2 Duo chips.
A spoof by VH1's Best Week Ever, which presents the "Mac" character in a less kind light, and the "PC" character in a more flattering light, than the "Get a Mac" ads.
Another spoof, featured on G4TechTV, features the Wii (represented by a chipper, attractive woman) vs the PS3 (represented by a serious and overweight woman). The Wii talks about its ease of use, and price, whereas the PS3 claims that "good things cost good money", and that she has better features.[2] [3]
On the show X-Play, in a continuation of the theme of Apple making a console called the iBox, the iBox was compared to the Playstation 2 in the same manner. After the person playing the Playstation 2 complained about how many wires he had to carry, the iBox actor bragged about how the iBox doesn't have any wires. The Playstation 2 then questioned how you played it, to which the iBox responded "I don't think that's part of the game." The show's hosts, Adam Sessler and Morgan Webb, praised it for its user friendliness and minimalist design, the latter of which led them to ponder if Ikea made a console.
A video on the humor website Break.com features a viral video, which, at first, mirrors the ad showing the Mac not getting viruses. However, the guy representing the PC retorts that there are no Mac users who would want to make a virus, stating "who would want to fuck up a Mac any more than it already is?". The guy representing the Mac remorsefully walks off screen, and, seconds later, kills himself (a gunshot is heard). The guy representing the PC simply says "There goes another one.".

[edit] Criticisms

In an article for Slate magazine, Seth Stevenson criticized the campaign as being too "mean spirited", suggesting that; "...isn't smug superiority (no matter how affable and casually dressed) a bit off-putting as a brand strategy?".^[1]

Chris Szurgot, developer of Visual Studio 2005, claimed the 'Viruses' commercial as FUD.^[2]

In the 'Viruses' commercial, Mac claims none of the viruses for PCs affect him, but macro viruses do not rely on the operating system but instead individual pieces of software, thus letting them work on either Macs or PCs with the affected software. In addition, there are spyware known to attack any operating system with a compatible browser.^[3]

The advantages of Macs, as portrayed in the ads, have also been heavily disputed by computer users.^[4]