January 16 - 1:15pm EST   As the 'I'm a PC' and 'Get a Mac' ad campaigns continue to battle, Microsoft appears to have presented a MacBook Pro in an online promotion for its Songsmith software. The notebook is cleverly disguised with flower stickers, including a decal placed over the Apple logo, although part of the fruit's white stem can still be seen. Although MacBooks can run Windows, the intense rivalry between the two companies would seemingly encourage the ad agency to choose amongst other computer manufacturers. [full story]

December 15 - 11:30pm EST   Apple has released two new Get a Mac ads with holiday themes, "Tree Trimming" and "I Can Do Anything." Both videos are animated in a style reminiscent of the stop-motion technique employed by the original Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer TV special, although the PC and Mac characters are still voiced by John Hodgman and Justin Long, respectively. The holiday series diverges from the attacks against Vista and gets back to a lighter, more humorous tone. [full story]

November 13 - 9:30pm EST   Apple has launched its latest Get a Mac ad that highlights a customer satisfaction survey, as featured on sites such as CNET.com and NYTimes.com. John Hodgman, playing the role of PC, starts off by noticing the results of a customer satisfaction survey. He walks off the screen and tries to change the results, despite resistance from the Mac character played by Justin Long. After PC points out that customer service is now dropping, the final screen shows that Mac ranks number one in an American Customer Satisfaction Index survey. [full story]

October 29 - 8:55pm EDT   In the ongoing competitive ad campaign battle between Microsoft and Apple, the recent "Get a Mac" ads have achieved nearly 70 percent of the "I'm a PC" online views, according to Visible Measures viral video research that compared numbers only from the first week after each launch. The Apple ads achieved twice as many placements with distinct URLs than the Microsoft campaign in the same period of time. [full story]

October 24 - 9:00pm EDT   A vast selection of refurbished Macs are currently being offered at Apple's online store at discount prices. The 20-inch iMac with 1GB of memory, 250GB hard drive and 2.4GHz processor is priced at $999. Get a Mac Pro with 2.8GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon processor, 2GB of memory and 320GB hard drive for $1,999. Currently one MacBook model, in white, is being offered at $1049 with a 2.4GHz processor, 2GB of memory and 160GB hard drive. Fifteen inch MacBook Pros start at $1,299 with 1GB of memory, 120GB hard drive and 2.16GHz processor while 17-inch MacBook Pro models start at $1,899 with 2GB of memory, 160GB hard drive and 2.33GHz processor. Lastly is the 1.6GHz MacBook ... [full story]

October 22 - 12:30am EDT   Apple's latest Get a Mac ad stokes the marketing rivalry between the company and its primary competitor, Microsoft. The ad, available online, suggests that Microsoft sets its customers' needs at a low priority, exemplified by the ad campaign costing millions that could have been spent reworking Windows Vista. This is the third ad in a recent series that has focused on Microsoft's exorbitant advertising spending which began with the Seinfeld/Gates commercials that completely omitted any information regarding its products. [full story]

September 9 - 10:40am EDT  A new web-based "Get a Mac" ad from Apple is being circulated online, through sites such as TIME.com. The ad relies on two separate banners, each with video; the focus is on the right one, where "PC" (John Hodgman) drags in an op-ed article, entitled "Stop Switching to Mac." PC claims that people are switching to Macs at an "alarming rate," and that the public needs to know about the crisis. [full story]

July 9 - 1:20am EDT   Calling Vista the most secure operating in the world (and taking jabs at Mac OS X security), Microsoft on Tuesday relented in its defense of the problematic Windows Vista, which has been the butt of many of Apple's jokes through its "Get a Mac" ad campaign. The Microsoft exec admitted that the system broke many things and said he feels badly for users' plights; the world's largest software developer, however, will counter Apple's anti-Windows/Vista campaign: "We've got a pretty noisy competitor out there," Brooks said of Apple whose "I'm a Mac... and I'm a PC," commercials criticize Windows Vista. "You know it. I know it. It's caused some impact. We're going to start ... [full story]

June 16 - 4:25pm EDT   Apple's online "Get a Mac" ad campaign has a new advertisement to add to its ranks, as John Hodgman's PC character draws attention to his brand new PC Newswire, a banner located above the side panel where he and Justin Long's Mac character stand. PC hopes that it will help his case against Mac, whose recent popularity has been widely reported in the news, but soon sees that the "Top PC News Stories" all seem to revolve around problems with Windows Vista. [full story]

June 13 - 9:15pm EDT   Apple's notorious secrecy when dealing with unreleased product is especially prevalent at conferences as journalists and the like are ferried around by Apple PR reps to avoid early leaks, heavily contrasting the easy-going image of actor Justin Long in the famous "Get a Mac" commercials. Computerworld writer Matt Hamblen had a need at WWDC to repeatedly use the washroom, each time he was escorted by a friendly, but stern Apple representative. [full story]

May 13 - 11:50pm EDT   Apple has premiered two more TV ads in its "Get a Mac" series, pitting Apple computers against those with Windows. The first of these, "Pep Rally," features a squad of cheerleaders, and positions Macs as having "record sales," and being the most popular computers on college campuses. The second ad is entitled "Group," and continues the arc of Windows Vista suffering from instability issues, whereas Macs are positioned as reliable and less crash-prone. Update: Apple has posted yet another ad titled "Sad Song," in which PC, dressed as a cowboy, laments the loss of users by singing the Vista Blues: "So many users are leaving me and ain't coming back: Vista's got issues...they're ... [full story]

March 21 - 6:10pm EDT   Echoing the earlier advertisement shown on various websites, Apple has revealed another "Get a Mac" banner ad which is currently showing on both the Wall Street Journal and New York Times homepages. The ad begins with Mac and PC standing in a banner on the side, with PC expressing dissatisfaction with an inflammatory remark made by CNET regarding how Vista is "one of the biggest blunders in technology." [full story]

February 26 - 9:25pm EST   A growing number of professors at Oregon State University are relying on Macs, according to one report. Reasons for the increased Mac usage include PC compatibility, an improved operating system, 'Get a Mac' ads, and better technical support. While Macs don't comprise a majority of the computers at Oregon State -- roughly 150 out of 3,000, or 5 percent -- the number of Macs is rising, according to CIO. "Macs are more friendly to PC users than they used to be," said Tammy Barr, the director of technology services at the school. Apple's Boot Camp software and applications like Parallels Desktop enable PC users to work in their own environment on newer Macs, easing the ... [full story]

January 7 - 12:45pm EST   Apple has churned out yet another 'Get a Mac' TV ad starring actor Justin Long as 'Mac' and Comedian Jon Hodgman as 'PC.' The latest spot begins with the usual introductions, after which a referee dressed in uniform blows a whistle and informs both sides that they may begin. Mac inquires about the ref, and PC gladly explains that he is present to make sure Mac plays fair when talking about Mac OS X Leopard vs. Windows Vista. [full story]

January 2 - 10:25am EST   Apple's iPhone and 'Get a Mac' TV ads are among the most admirable of 2007, according to a list of the most memorable ad moments in 10 major categories published by USA TODAY. The Cupertino-based company's iPhone topped the publication's 'Made me want to buy it now' category by showcasing the device's functions in a close-up shot of the screen. Apple also earned the 'Best characters/mascots/spokespeople' title for Actor Justin Long and comedian John Hodgman in their roles of Mac and PC. [full story]