The Get a Mac campaign is a television advertising campaign created for Apple Inc. by TBWA\Media Arts Lab, the company's advertising agency, that ran from 2006 to 2009.^[1] Shown in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and Japan, the advertisements in the campaign have become easily recognizable because each advertisement follows a standard simple template: against a minimalist all-white background, a man dressed in casual clothes introduces himself as a Mac ("Hello, I'm a Mac."), while a man in a more formal suit-and-tie combination introduces himself as a Windows personal computer ("And I'm a PC."). The two then act out a brief vignette, in which the capabilities and attributes of Mac and PC are compared, with PC—characterized as formal and somewhat polite, though stuffy and overly concerned with work—often being frustrated by the more laid-back Mac's abilities. The older ones shifted focus away from comparing features of the computer systems to a more general comparison. The later ones, however, mainly concerned Windows Vista and, at the end, Windows 7.

The original American advertisements star actor Justin Long, as the Mac, and author and humorist John Hodgman, as the non-Mac PC, and are directed by Phil Morrison. The American ads also air on Canadian, Australian, and New Zealand television,^{[citation needed]} and at least 24 of them were dubbed into Spanish, French, German, and Italian. The British campaign stars comedic duo Robert Webb as Mac and David Mitchell as PC while the Japanese campaign features the comedic duo Rahmens. Although several of the British and Japanese ads originated in the American campaign, they are generally slightly altered to suit local sensibilities.^{[clarification needed]} Both the British and Japanese campaigns also feature several original ads not seen in the American campaign.^{[citation needed]}

The Get a Mac campaign is the successor to the Switch ads that were first broadcast in 2002. Both campaigns were filmed against a plain white background. Apple's former 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.

The Get a Mac campaign received the Grand Effie Award in 2007.^[2] The song in the commercial is called "Having Trouble Sneezing" composed by Mark Mothersbaugh but is better known as "Get a MAC Melody".

Advertisements[link]

The following is a brief summary of the different ads that appear in the various campaigns. All of the ads play on perceived weaknesses of standard non-Mac personal computers, especially those running Microsoft Windows, of which PC is clearly intended to be a parody, and corresponding strengths possessed by the Mac OS (such as immunity to circulating viruses and spyware targeted at Windows). Each of the ads is about 30 seconds in length and is accompanied by a song called "Having Trouble Sneezing," which was composed by Mark Mothersbaugh. The advertisements are presented below in alphabetical order, not chronological order.

North American campaign[link]

The following is an alphabetical list of the ads that appeared in the campaign shown in the United States and Canada.

• 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, thus prompting Mac to point out that the MacBook's and MacBook Pro's magnetic power cord prevents such an occurrence. The Macbook at the end of the ad gets its cord pulled out of it, detaching harmlessly.
• Angel/Devil—Mac gives PC an iPhoto book to view. Suddenly, angel and devil versions of PC appear behind him. The angel encourages PC to compliment Mac, while the devil prods PC to destroy the book. In the end, PC says the book is good, and then turns around, feeling the air where the angel and devil versions of PC were.
• Bake Sale—PC is seen having a bake sale. When Mac questions PC regarding the occasion, PC replies that he is trying to raise money by himself in order to fix Vista's problems. Mac decides to contribute by buying a cupcake and as soon as he takes a bite, PC wants Mac to pay ten million dollars for it.
• Bean Counter—PC is doing a little budgeting and admits that Vista's problems are frustrating PC users and that it's time to take drastic action: spending almost all of the money on advertising. When Mac asks PC if he thinks the small amount of money left will fix Vista, PC reallocates all of it to advertising. This ad coincided with the introduction of Microsoft's "I'm a PC" campaign.
• Better—Mac praises 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," only to sheepishly claim a different definition when Mac tells him.
• Better Results—PC and Mac discuss making home movies, and show each other their efforts. Supermodel Gisele Bündchen enters, representing Mac's movie, while PC's movie is represented by a man with a hairy chest and a blonde wig wearing a dress similar to Bündchen's. PC states that there's some work in progress with his movie.
• Biohazard Suit—PC first appears wearing a biohazard suit to protect himself from PC viruses and malware, of which PC says there are 20,000 discovered every day. Mac asks PC if he is going to live in the suit for the rest of his life, and PC cannot hear him because he is too protected by his virus-proof mask, and takes it off. PC then shrieks and struggles to place it on again.
• Boxer—PC is introduced as if he was in a Boxing match, stating that he's not going down without a fight. Mac says back that it's not a competition but, rather, people switching to a computer that's simpler and more intuitive. The ring announcer admits his brother-in-law got a Mac and loves it.
• Breakthrough—Mac and PC's therapist (played by Corinne Bohrer, see "Counselor" below) suggest that PC's problems are simply a result of software and hardware coming from various places, whereas Mac gets all his hardware and software from one place. "It's not my fault!" PC keeps repeating with support of Mac and the therapist. Then PC concludes, "It's Mac's fault! It's Mac's fault!" with Mac and the therapist disappointed in PC's conclusion. PC ends with the comment "What a Breakthrough!"
• Broken Promises—PC tells Mac how excited he is about the launch of Windows 7 and assures him it won't have the same problems as Vista. However, Mac feels like he heard this before, and has a series of flashbacks about PC assuring Mac about Windows Vista, XP, Me, 98, 95, and 2.0. On the last flashback, he says "Trust me." Back in the present, he says this time it's going to be different, then says "Trust me." in an almost identical way to the flashback.
• Calming Teas—PC announces calming teas and bath salts to make Vista's annoyances easier to live with, such as 'Crashy-time Chamomile', 'Missing Driver Mint', 'Pomegranate Patience', and 'Raspberry Restart'. He doesn't get time to talk about his Bath Salts.
• Choose a Vista—Confused about which of the six versions of Windows Vista to get, PC spins a big game wheel. PC lands on Lose a Turn, and Mac questions why PC put that space on the wheel.
• Computer Cart—PC and three other men in suits are on a computer cart. When Mac asks why, PC says that he gets an error with a Windows Media Player Dynamic-link library file (WMP.DLL), and that the others suffer from similar errors (The man in the beige suit represents error 692, the man in the grey suit represents a Syntax error, and the man in the bottom of the cart represents Fatal error in which PC whispers, "He's a goner," after the commercial). Mac explains that Macs don't get cryptic error messages.
• Counselor—PC and Mac visit a psychotherapist (played by Corinne Bohrer) to resolve their differences. However, while Mac finds it easy to compliment PC ("You are a wizard with numbers and you dress like a gentleman"), PC's resentment is too deep for him to reciprocate ("I guess you are better at creating stuff, even though it's completely juvenile and a waste of time."). The counselor suggests that they come twice a week.
• Customer Care—Mac is seen again with an Apple Genius, a real-life person who can help you with your Mac problems. PC then has a short montage of endless automated customer-support messages, never reaching a real person, which is not to PC's liking, and he then says that his source of help is 'the same' as Mac Genius.
• Elimination—PC attempts to find Megan, a new laptop hunter, the perfect PC. Unfortunately, no PCs are 'immune' to viruses, which is Megan's #1 concern, so PC leaves her with Mac.
• Flashback—Mac asks PC if he would like to see the website and home movie that he made. This prompts PC to remember a time when both he and Mac were children: when the younger Mac asks the younger PC if he would like to see some artwork he did, the younger PC takes out a calculator and calculates the time they have just wasted. (This may be a reference to the time when PC's were text-based, while Macs were slower but had GUIs) Returning from the flashback, PC does the same thing.
• Genius—Mac introduces PC to one of the Apple Geniuses from the Apple Retail Store's Genius Bar. PC tests the Genius, starting with math questions, which culminates in asking her, on a scale of one to ten, how much does he loathe Mac, to which she answers "Eleven," and PC says "She's good. Very good."
• Gift Exchange—Mac and PC exchange gifts for Christmas; PC, who is hoping for a C++ GUI programming guide, is disappointed to receive a photo album of previous Get a Mac ads made on iPhoto, and Mac receives from PC a C++ GUI programming guide.
• Goodwill—Mac and PC agree to put aside their differences because of the Christmas season. Although PC momentarily slips and states that Mac wastes his time with frivolous pursuits like home movies and blogs, the two agree to, as Mac says, "Pull it into hug harbor," and they wish each other a good holiday.
• Group—PC is at a help group for PCs living with Vista. The other PCs there tell him to take it one day at a time and that he is facing the biggest fact of all—that Vista isn't working as it should. They all wish the Vista problems will go away sooner and a lot easier. One of them says pleasingly that he has been error-free for a week and starts to repeat himself uncontrollably and the others get discouraged.
• 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 defensively responds by listing the cool apps that he comes with—but can only identify Calculator and Clock.
• I Can Do Anything—An animated Get a Mac commercial designed for the holidays. PC asks Mac why he loves the holidays so much. Mac says it is the season for peace on Earth. PC says that they get to be animated and can do anything. PC demonstrates by floating in the air, building a snowman in fast motion, and talking to animals. PC asks a bunny hopping by where he is going. The bunny replies by saying he's going to the Apple Store for some last-minute gifts. PC then purposely tips the snowman's head off making it fall on the bunny and, sarcastically apologizes to him, calling himself clumsy. The animation is like the Get a Mac Santa Claus ad in a style similar to the Rankin/Bass animation style.
• Legal Copy—Every time PC says something positive about himself, the legal copy that appears on the screen increases. He finally states that PCs are now 100% trouble-free, and the legal copy covers the whole screen.
• Meant for Work—PC, looking haggard and covered in stickers, complains about the kids who use him and their activities, such as making movies and blogging, which are wearing him out, saying that he cries himself to sleep mode every night. He complains that, unlike Mac, he is meant more for office work. PC then trudges off because his user wants to listen to some emo, and, with a loud groan, trudges off to show an Anarchy sticker on his back.
• Misprint—PC is on the phone with PC World, attempting to report a misprint. He explains how they said, "The fastest Windows Vista notebook we tested this year is a Mac." PC goes on to argue how impossible it is for a Mac to run Vista faster than a PC while Mac tries to explain that it is true. While arguing with PCWorld over the phone, PC says that he'll put Mac on the line to set things straight. However, he instead lowers his voice and talks cool in an attempt to impersonate Mac, saying that PCs are faster.
• Network—Mac and PC, holding hands to demonstrate their ability to network with each other, are joined by a Japanese woman representing a new digital camera, who enters and takes the Mac character's hand. While Mac and the camera are perfectly compatible and speak to each other fluently, PC—who cannot speak Japanese—is utterly confused and unable to communicate, representing that Windows PCs need a driver installation with virtually all new hardware.
• Now What—PC begins by showing off his new, long book, I Want to Buy a Computer — Now What? to help customers deal with all the difficult computer-buying decisions, with no one out there to help. Mac then replies that buying a computer is in fact really easy, explaining that at Apple Stores there are personal shoppers to help you find the perfect Mac. Mac goes on to say that there are even workshops there to teach people about using the computers. Upon hearing this, PC says that he also thought of this and brings out the companion volume, I Just Bought a Computer — Now What?
• Office Stress—Mac's new Microsoft Office 2008 has just been released. In the box that PC gives Mac is a stress toy for him to use when he gets overwhelmed from doing lots more work, which PC begins using as he complains that Microsoft Office is also compatible with Mac and that he wants to switch his files over and he is getting less work than Mac, eventually breaking the toy.
• Off the Air—Mac and PC show up with a Mac Genius who says that it is now easier than ever to switch to a Mac and that a Mac Genius can switch over a PCs files to a new Mac for free. PC then says that it is fear that keeps people from switching and that people don't need to hear about the Mac Genius. In protest he pulls a cover over the camera which has a test card drawn on it and declares that they are off the air.
• Out of the Box—Mac (in a white box) and PC (in a brown box doing some exercises) are discussing what they will do when they are unpacked. Mac says that he can get started right away, but PC is held up by the numerous activities that he must complete before being useful. Mac eventually leaves to get right to work, but PC is forced to wait for parts that are still in other boxes.
• PC Choice Chat—PC has his own radio talk show called PC Choice Chat, and people begin to call in asking for advice on which computer to get. All the callers ask for advice on a computer that would qualify as a Mac but not a PC, as one caller asks for a computer that is for people who hate getting viruses. One other caller asks for PC help like Mac genius, and another wants to switch to Mac. PC ignores these calls.
• PC Innovations Lab—PC, who has wrapped another PC in Bubble Wrap, is saying that the Bubble Wrap is actually a security shield. Mac tries to speak, but PC cuts him off, showing another PC who apparently has cupholders on his shoulders. The cupholders are full of foam coffee cups, and PC takes a full coffee cup, pretending to toast the cup and saying, "Cheers to innovation".
• PC News—PC is sitting at a news desk and turns it over to a correspondent at what seems to be a launch party for Windows 7 until a person being interviewed reveals that he is switching to a Mac. PC is surprised by this and asks why, and more people speak of how Mac is #1 with customer satisfaction and PC finally says to cut the feed. This is one of two commercials where Mac and PC acknowledge that they are in a commercial. PC: "Let's go to a commercial." Mac: "We are a commercial". PC: "Let's go to another commercial".
• Pep Rally—PC is introduced by a cheerleading squad. When asked to explain, PC explains that Mac's number-one status on college campuses with his built-in iSight camera, his Stable operating system, and being able to run Microsoft Office so well, so he is trying to win students back with a pep rally. The cheerleaders cheer, "Mac's Number One!" and upon PC's complaint, they cheer, "PC's Number Two!"
• Party is Over—PC unhappily throws a party celebrating the release of Windows Vista. He complains to Mac that he had to upgrade his hardware and now can't use some of his old software and peripherals. He then talks with one of the party members about throwing another in five years, which turns into five years and a day, and so on.
• Pizza Box—PC tries to attract college students by posing as a free box of pizza. This ad was aired during Apple's 2008 back-to-school promotion.
• Podium—PC, in the style of a political candidate, is standing at a podium making declarations about Windows Vista, urging those who are having compatibility problems with existing hardware to simply replace them and to ignore the new features of Mac OS X Leopard. However, he privately admits to Mac that he himself has downgraded to Windows XP three weeks ago. His key slogan is It's not about what Vista can do for you, it's what you can buy for Vista.
• PR Lady—Mac and PC are joined by a public relations representative (played by Mary Chris Wall), who has been hired by PC to place a positive spin on the reaction to Windows Vista and claims that many people are even downgrading back to Windows XP, but her response to claims that more people are switching to Mac instead is a sheepish "No comment."
• Referee—A referee is present, according to PC, to make sure that Mac doesn't go on saying that Leopard is better and faster than Vista. When Mac defends himself saying that it was The Wall Street Journal that compared the two, PC complains, and the referee sides with Mac. Upon insulting the referee, PC gets ejected, but PC rebuts, saying that he has nowhere to go (in the ad's area).
• Restarting—Mac and PC explain how they both have a lot in common, but their discussion is hampered by PC's unfortunate habit of freezing and restarting.
• Sabotage—PC is present, but a different actor appears in Mac's place, obviously reciting poorly memorized lines to flatter PC. The real Mac arrives soon after, and while PC sheepishly denies anything is happening, Impostor Mac tells Real Mac that he's a big fan.
• Sad Song—PC sings a short country-and-Western-style song because Vista has gotten him feeling down. The song is about people leaving him for Mac and that Vista's got issues. A hound-dog then howls, which Mac claims is a nice touch. A longer version ends with Mac asking PC if the dog is his, which it isn't.
• Sales Pitch—Although Mac introduces himself as usual, PC says, "And buy a PC." He explains that Mac's increasing popularity is forcing him to be more forward in his self-promotion, and is reduced to holding up red signs with various pitches on them.
• File:Get a Mac Santa Claus.jpg

  Clay animation PC, Santa Claus, and Mac from the Santa Claus ad.
  Santa Claus—Another animated Get a Mac commercial featuring Santa Claus and Christmas caroling by both PC and Mac. PC spoils the song by inserting "Buy a PC and not a Mac this holiday season or any other time for goodness sake," and claims, "That's how I learned it." The animation style is similar to the Rankin/Bass television specials Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town.
• Security—In a reference to criticisms of Windows Vista's security features, PC is a joined by a tall United States Secret Service-style bodyguard who represents Vista's new security feature and intrusively demands that he cancel or allow every incoming or outgoing interaction he has with Mac.
• Self Pity—Mac, for once, is wearing a suit, and explains that he does work stuff too, and has been running Microsoft Office for years. Upon hearing this, PC becomes despondent and collapses on the floor, begging to be left alone to depreciate.
• Stuffed—PC enters slowly with a ballooned torso, explaining that all the trial software is slowing him down. Mac replies that Macs only come with the software you want (namely, the iLife package). As PC finally gets on his mark, Mac begins his intro again, but PC realizes that he's forgotten something and begins to slowly leave.
• Stacks—PC is searching through all of his pictures, trying to find a photograph of his friend. He searches one picture at a time, but Mac states that iPhoto has a feature called Faces, in which you tag the face of a person and iPhoto finds other pictures of the same person, putting them all into the same folder and saving search time. PC responds to the facial-recognition technology as expensive and tells Mac to sort the pictures instead because he has the technology to make it easier.
• Surgery—PC appears in the garb of a patient awaiting surgery, and explains that he is upgrading to Windows Vista but requires surgery to upgrade (specifically, upgrading such items as graphics cards, processors, memory, etc.). In reference to perceived difficulties in upgrading, PC admits that he is worried about going through it and bequeaths his peripherals to Mac should he not survive. Mac ask PC if, like him, his upgrade is just straightforward.
• Surprise—Mac appears alongside a customer (Andree Vermeulen), with PC notably absent. The customer says she's looking to buy a great computer. Mac tries to convince her that she should get a PC, telling her that they're much better and more stable. The customer seems skeptical, tells Mac she'll "think about it", and leaves. A frustrated Mac pulls off a mask and his clothes, revealing himself to be PC in disguise. The real Mac then appears, sees PC's discarded mask and clothes, and says "I don't even wanna ask."
• Tech Support—A technician is present to install a webcam on PC (using masking tape to attach it to his head). PC is extremely pleased by his new upgrade, but upon hearing from the technician that Mac has a built-in webcam, he storms off without waiting for the camera to be fully installed.
• Teeter Tottering—A woman who had a PC has a box of things that were in her PC and says she's switching to Mac, but PC tries to convince her to stay while she just goes over to Mac every time.
• Throne—PC appears in a king's robe and throne saying that even though switching computers can be difficult, his subjects won't leave him and that he's still king. Mac then begins talking about how PC's subjects can just bring their PC into an Apple Store where they'll transfer all the files over to a new Mac, at which PC declares Mac banished.
• Time Machine—In the typical introduction of Mac and PC, instead of there being one Mac, there is a line of 10. PC is shocked, so the various Macs explain that it is simply Time Machine, a feature in Leopard that makes regular backups of a user's hard drive. PC is forced to admit that such a feature is pretty awesome followed by thanks from the various Macs.
• Time Traveler—PC uses a time machine to travel to the year 2150 to see if any major issues (such as freezing and crashing) have been removed from the PC and to see if PCs are as hassle-free as Macs. Promptly after PC arrives at 2150, future PC literally freezes, which answers the question.
• Top of the Line—PC and Mac appear with a customer who's looking for a new computer. PC introduces her to the "top of the line" PC (Patrick Warburton), a handsome and overly slick PC in a suit. She asks him about screen size and speed, to which Top of the Line says he's the best, but he then balks when she says she doesn't want to deal with any viruses or hassle. She decides to go with Mac, so Top of the Line hands her his business card and tells her to give him a call "when she's ready to compromise."
• Touché—Right after PC introduces himself, the Mac character replies, "And I'm a PC, too." Mac explains to the confused PC that he can run both Mac OS X and Microsoft Windows, calling himself the only computer you'll ever need. PC mutters, "Oh...touché." The Mac character, referring to the rules of fencing, explains that one only says touché after he or she makes a point and someone else makes a counterpoint, but the PC character continues to misuse the word. A similar conversation occurred in Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, a film in which Justin Long (Mac) appeared.
• Trainer—The commercial starts off traditionally, but PC is doing sit-ups with a trainer in a striped shirt (Robert Loggia), saying fierce things to make PC improved. PC suggests the trainer try some 'positive reinforcement', and is a little angry and shocked when the trainer compliments Mac instead.
• Tree Trimming—Another animated Get a Mac commercial for the holiday season. Mac and PC set aside their disagreements and decide to trim a Christmas tree by hanging ornaments and stringing lights. Mac tells PC that they are good friends, while PC gets nervous. When they are finished, PC does not want to light the lights on the tree, but Mac persuades him to do so. PC plugs in the tree's lights, and they light up and say "PC RULES." He apologizes to Mac and says that it just sort of happened. The animation is like the Get a Mac Santa Claus ad in the Rankin-Bass animation style.
• Trust Mac—PC, in an attempt to hide from spyware, is wearing a trench coat, a fedora, dark glasses, and a false mustache. PC offers Mac a disguise, but Mac declines, saying he doesn't have to worry about the normal PC spyware and viruses with Mac OS X Leopard.
• V Word—PC declares that they're going to stop referring to his operating system (Vista) by name. He says using the word "doesn't sit well with frustrated PC users. From now on, we're going to use a word with a lot less baggage: 'Windows.'" He is holding a black box with a large red button that sounds a buzzer when pressed. PC presses the button whenever Mac says Vista. After pointing out that not using the word isn't the same as fixing the operating system's problems, Mac ends the ad by saying Vista several times in rapid succession, thwarting PC's attempts to sound the buzzer.
• Viruses—PC has caught a new virus (represented as a cold) and warns Mac to stay away from him, citing the 114,000 known viruses for PCs. Mac states that the viruses that affect PCs don't affect him, and PC announces that he's going to crash before collapsing onto the floor in a faint.
• Work vs. Home—Mac describes how he enjoys doing fun stuff such as podcasts and movies, which leads PC to claim that he also does fun stuff such as timesheets, spreadsheets, and pie charts. After Mac responds that it is difficult to capture a family vacation using a pie chart, PC rebuts by showing a pie chart representing hanging-out time and just kicking it with different shades of gray. Mac replies, "I feel like I was there."
• Wall Street Journal—Mac is reading a favorable review of himself by Walt Mossberg in The Wall Street Journal. Jealous, PC then claims that he also received a great review, but is caught off-guard when Mac asks for specific details. This ad is currently not available on the Apple website but can be found on YouTube.
• Yoga—Mac is watching PC have a yoga session in which the yoga instructor (Judy Greer) is coaching PC in expelling bad Vista energy and forgetting Vista's problems, but when the yoga instructor goes on to complain that Vista screwed up the yoga billing and then storms off, PC considers switching to pilates.

Web-exclusive campaign[link]

Several advertisements have been shown exclusively in Flash ad campaigns running on numerous websites.^[3] Unlike the ads shown on television, these advertisements have not been posted as high-quality QuickTime videos on Apple's website. These ads run for approximately 20 seconds each and reference specific online advertising features (such as banner ads), making it unlikely they will ever appear on television.

The titles are taken from the Flash-video file names.

• Banging—PC expresses his regret for upgrading to Windows Vista because it is causing him various problems. Mac tries to comfort him, but PC continues to bang his head on the side of the banner advertisement.
• Booby Trap— PC and Mac are at PCMag. PC is angry that they put up a bannerad saying that iLife '09 is the best office suite. PC hooks some cables up to the banner claiming that whoever clicks that will get shocked. PC proves it himself by clicking it.
• Claw—In a skyscraper ad, PC is using a grabber claw to try to grab a boxed copy of Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac that is sitting in the top banner ad. He claims that if people see that Office 08 is on the Mac, that they will ask questions regarding what a PC can do that the Mac can't. Mac points out that Office has been on the Mac for years, and that this is simply the latest version. PC knocks over the Office box, which causes an alarm to go off. PC hands the grabber claw to Mac, saying "He did it!"
• Cramped—In the only known UK web-exclusive ad, PC and Mac (portrayed by Mitchell and Webb) are lying head-to-head in a banner ad, complaining about the size and format of the banner ad, and encouraging the user to click the ad quicker.
• Customer Experience—A banner ad shows that Mac is rated #1 among customers experience. PC is frustrated and goes to more opinions from a before and after hair ad. Both say that they Mac is better.
• Customer Satisfaction—A "Mac Customer Satisfaction Score" meter appears in a banner ad above Mac and PC. The meter's needle is hovering at about 85 out of 100. PC excuses himself and climbs up to the upper banner ad, and pulls on the needle. He accidentally breaks off the tip of the meter, and then waves it at the 20 mark, saying "Customer satisfaction is dropping..."
• Easy as 1–23^[4]—In a Web banner, PC shows Mac his new slogan. Mac assumes it means "PC. Easy as 1-2-3," but PC corrects him by stating it means "Easy as 1 through 23". He then pulls out 23 steps for using a PC.
• Editorial—PC drags his own op-ed column into the banner ad (since these ads appeared on news sites, such as cnn.com, it "blends" in with the rest of the site). The op-ed headline says "Stop Switching to Mac!" PC explains that people are switching to Macs more than ever, and that they need to know how much it is hurting PC. He makes a couple of anguished poses in the photo box to illustrate how frustrated he is.
• Hiding^[5]—PC peeks in from the left side of the screen. When Mac asks what PC is doing, PC explains that he is hiding from viruses and spyware. PC then leaves, saying that he has to run a scan. There are two versions of this ad: a 300x250 square ad and a 160x600 vertical banner ad. PC is identical in both versions, but Mac's performance features a different take in each.
• Knocking—PC panics about needing to search for new drivers for his hardware now that he's upgraded to Windows Vista. He tries to force his way off the left side of the screen so he can leave to find the new drivers but repeatedly runs into a wall. When he finally succeeds in breaking through the left side of the screen, he finds himself jumping back in from the right side of the screen.
• Newswire—PC, jealous of Mac's good press, gets his own newswire ticker above the ad. Unfortunately, the newswire displays unflattering headlines such as "Vista Users Upset Over Glitches" and "Users Downgrade to XP." PC says he hates his stupid newswire and then the next headline on the newswire is "PC Hates His Stupid Newswire."
• Not—A banner ad on the top of the page reads, "Leopard is better and faster than Vista." —Wall Street Journal. On the side, Mac introduces himself while PC climbs a ladder. Mac asks what PC is doing and he says that he is fixing an embarrassing typo. He then climbs all the way to the top and staples a piece of paper that says NOT at the end of the quotation. He then tells Mac that they have the whole Internet to correct and asks Mac to grab the ladder.
• PC Turf^[6] (PCMag.com and PCWorld.com exclusive)—PC welcomes Web surfers to his turf, PCWorld.com, and remarks that Mac must feel out of place there. Mac points out that they said some great things about Macs, so PC asks security to remove Mac because he's going to be a problem. The PCMag version is identical, except PC's voice is re-dubbed to say "PCMag.com."
• Refresh^[7]—A banner ad on the top of the page reads, "Vista...one of the biggest blunders in technology?" —CNET.com. Off to the side, PC sees the banner and realizes its another bad review of Vista and decides to do an emergency refresh. He walks over and opens a compartment door that says, "Emergency Banner Refresh." PC flips the switch, and the banner is replaced by another banner that reads, "It's time for a Vista do-over" —PC Magazine. PC, frustrated about this review, flips the switch again. The banner is replaced by another that reads, "Mac OS X Leopard: A Perfect 10" —InfoWorld. PC sees this positive review and is relieved until he realizes it's about Leopard. PC angrily flips the switch again to end the ad.
• Sign^[8]—In a skyscraper ad, Mac asks PC about an unlit sign in a separate banner ad that reads, "DON'T GIVE UP ON VISTA." PC replies that it will stop the problem of frustrated Windows Vista users downgrading to XP or switching to Macs. He presses a button, lighting up only the GIVE UP part of the sign. He presses it again, lighting up ON VISTA. Frustrated, PC presses the button repeatedly, causing GIVE UP and ON VISTA to light up alternately.
• Switcher Cams—A banner ad at the top of the page displays a bank of 5 security camera screens which show users walking into Apple Stores; as users walk past each camera "PC SWITCHER" lights up in red beneath each screen. On the side, PC sees the switchers and is disappointed they are upgrading to Mac instead of to Windows 7. Mac says he thought Windows 7 was "supposed to be an improvement", to which PC responds that Macs are still #1 in customer satisfaction and that people will have to move their files over anyway. Still observing the switchers, PC leaves the side and appears on one of the video screens, managing to stop one switcher from going into the Apple Store but says there are still "thousands and thousands to go".

UK campaign[link]

For the British market, the ads were recast with the popular British comedy double act Mitchell and Webb in the lead roles; David Mitchell as PC and Robert Webb as Mac. As well as original ads, several ads from the American campaign were reshot with new dialogue and slightly altered scenes. These ads are about 40 seconds long, which is slightly longer than the US advertisements. All of the ads used to be viewable at Apple's UK website.

The following ads are exclusive to the UK:

• Art Language—In an effort to relate to the creative artistic types whom he assumes own Macs, PC, dressed in a stereotypically bohemian fashion, begins speaking to Mac using unnecessarily pretentious language. Despite Mac's insistence that he enables anyone to be creative, PC continues using big words, eventually confusing even himself.
• Court—PC, dressed in a barrister's outfit, questions Mac on how long it takes to make a iPhoto photo book that Mac claims to have made in a few minutes. Doubting Mac's claim, PC eventually resorts to cutting off Mac whenever he tries to speak.
• Magic—Exchanging an average 50k Word document in a file to Mac, PC makes out that the process is much harder than it actually is through the use of a drum roll and a magician's assistant, and shouting "Amazing!" at the end of the transfer. Bemused, Mac points out that he is compatible with PC and passes him back a photo with no fuss at all, at the end of which PC shouts "Amazing!"
• Naughty Step—PC unveils his naughty step: the ultimate deterrent to an unruly errant child (similar to the technique used by Jo Frost in the UK and US series Supernanny). He goes on to explain that children should not be making pictures, movies and websites on a proper, grown-up PC. Mac points out that this is the fun stuff children like to do, resulting in his own banishment to the naughty step.
• Office at Home—PC is proud of his role in both the office and the home, but Mac retaliates by stating that homes are not run like offices, and thus shouldn't have office computers. PC eagerly begins to describe the ways in which homes can be run like offices, with his increasing authoritarianism prompting Mac to sarcastically comment that PC's home sounds like a fun place.
• Office Posse—PC wonders why Microsoft Office (Excel, PowerPoint, Word and Entourage) are standing with Mac and is surprised when Mac says that he runs Office also. PC attempts to order and then entice the Office members to join him, but they refuse, resulting in what Mac calls an awkward moment.
• Tentacle—PC praises Britain's work ethic, chastising Mac's insistence on the need for fun in life. In attempting to persuade Mac of his point of view, PC employs the use of several animal metaphors, but becomes sidetracked through his increasingly eager musing about the practical applications of octopus tentacles in an office.

Several American ads were modified for the UK market. In some of these ads, the events that occur in the narrative differ significantly from the original American campaign. Others follow the original ads more closely, with only minor differences (many based on the differences in characterization from the actors involved or language differences between American English and British English). These ads are also performed by Mitchell and Webb.

The adapted ads are

• Accident—The ad follows the same narrative, with a different ending: PC, clearly heavily drugged, requests to be pushed over to the window so he can look at the pigeons, only for Mac to point out that there are no pigeons nor a window. PC responds with a dreamy "You're funny...."
• Network—The ad follows the same narrative, but in the British version Mac connects with a Japanese printer instead of a digital camera. PC is also more involved in the dialogue, attempting to communicate in Japanese with the printer, only to mangle his words, first declaring that he is a rice cake before asking, "Where is the train station?" This larger involvement of PC, when compared to PC in the American ad, is also shown by the appearance of subtitles whenever PC, Mac, or the printer speak in Japanese; in the American ad, there are no subtitles translating Mac and the camera's dialogue, further evidencing that PC is lost in the conversation.
• Out of the Box—The ad is almost exactly the same as the American version. However, Mac doesn't mention his built-in camera. Also, at the end, PC pulls out an extremely thick user manual and starts reading it.
• Pie Chart—The ad is based on the American Work vs. Home. The light-grey area of PC's family holiday pie chart now represents shennanigans and tomfoolery and the dark-grey area represents hijinks. Also, PC further divides hijinks into capers, monkey business, and just larking about.
• Restarting—The ad follows much the same narrative as the American ad, with the only major difference being that after Mac has left to get someone from IT, PC awakens and wonders where everyone has gone.
• Stuffed—This ad contains no significant changes from the American version.
• Trust Mac—The ad follows the same narrative as the American version, but at the end, PC yells out that there is nobody present but two Macs having fun.
• Virus—Based on the American ad Viruses, it contains the dialogue "This one's a humdinger" instead of "a doozy" but otherwise contains no significant changes.

Japanese campaign[link]

On December 12, 2006, Apple began to release ads in Japan that were similar in style to the US Get a Mac ads. The Mac and PC are played by the Rahmens, a Japanese comedy duo. The ads used to be viewable at Apple's Japan website.

The following ads are exclusive to Japan:

• Nengajo—Mac shows PC the New Year's Card he made using iPhoto. PC then looks at it, remarking about the picture of the wild boar on the card.
• Nicknames—PC is confused as to why Mac is not called a PC. Mac then explains that more people use him at home, and PC counters that he is more business-oriented. PC then asks for a nickname for himself; Mac then names him Wāku (work).
• Practice Drawing—PC says he can create pictures, but they are all graphs. For example, what Mac thinks is Manhattan is a bar graph and what Mac thinks is a mountain view is a line graph. Mac catches on, correctly identifying a pie chart, but PC responds that it is a pizza, chiding Mac for having no artistic sense. This is similar to Art Language, in that PC is trying to connect with artsy people like Mac.
• Steps—Mac tells PC that he has made his own webpage using iWeb. PC then asks for the steps to make his own. Mac gives them, finishing after step three. PC then pesters Mac for step four, which Mac finally explains is to have a cup of coffee.

Several American ads were modified for the Japanese market. In some of these ads, the events that occur in the narrative differ significantly from the original American campaign. Others follow the original ads more closely, with only minor differences (many based on the differences in characterization from the actors involved).

The adapted ads are

• Bloated—This ad is similar to Stuffed, but in this ad, PC makes no reference to bloatware (limited or useless versions of programs loaded onto new PCs), instead complaining about how much space installing a new operating system takes. Mac expresses his hopes that PC didn't have to delete any data.
• iLife—This ad is almost exactly the same as the American version, except that PC is listening to Eurobeat on his iPod rather than slow jams, and Mac gives a pregnant pause instead of complimenting PC on his pre-loaded calculator and clock.
• iMovie—This ad with Miki Nakatani, is nearly identical to the American ad Better Results, except that PC actually thinks that his home movie is comparable to the Mac home movie.
• Microsoft Office—Based on the UK ad Office Posse, the ad contains only minor differences. At the end of the ad, PC tries to entice Office by chanting, "Overtime! Overtime! All together now!"
• Pie Chart—This ad is based on the American ad Work vs. Home. The narrative is largely the same, with the only significant differences being that Mac is blogging rather than working with movies, music, and podcasts, and the names of the divisions of the pie chart each represent Sightseeing and Relaxing at a Café.
• Restart—This ad is identical to the American ad Restarting, except that PC doesn't restart again after Mac goes off to get IT.
• Security—This ad is based on the American ad Trust Mac, but contains some significant changes. Rather than disguising himself to hide from viruses, PC dons protective gear to fight viruses. PC demands that any virus out there come and fight him. After Mac points out a virus, PC slowly moves behind Mac to protect himself.
• Virus—The ad contains no significant changes from the American ad Viruses.

Keynote videos[link]

While not strictly a part of the ad campaign, Hodgman and Long appeared in videos during Steve Jobs's keynote addresses at the 2006, 2007, and 2009 Worldwide Developers Conference and the 2008 MacWorld Expo.

• WWDC 2006—In an attempt to stall Mac development, PC claims to have a message from Steve Jobs that says that the developers should take the rest of the year off, and that Microsoft could use some help with Vista. He starts to go off-topic about his vacation with Jobs, but when Mac arrives he says he's just preparing for their next commercial and starts to sing the Meow Mix theme song off-key.
• WWDC 2007—PC dresses up as Steve Jobs, and announces that he is quitting and shutting down Apple. He claims that Vista did so well, selling tens of dozens of copies, that there's no need for Leopard, and that he got his iPod-killer, a brown Zune. He tells the developers to just go home because they're no longer needed. Mac arrives and chides PC for trying to mislead the developers again like last year. He asks if PC really thinks the audience will believe he is Jobs. PC then claims he is Phil Schiller.
• MacWorld Expo 2008—PC and Mac stand under a Happy New Year sign, and PC talks about what a terrible year 2007 has been for him, referring to Windows Vista as a failure while Apple Inc. experienced success with Mac OS X Leopard, iPod Touch, and iPhone. Despite this, PC says he is optimistic for the future, claiming it to be the Year of the PC. When asked what his plans are for 2008, PC states he is "just going to copy everything [Mac] did in 2007."
• WWDC 2009—PC comes out and greets the crowd and says that he wants them to have a great conference with "incredible innovations that will keep Apple at the forefront..." He stops, then says, "I think I can do that better." Now it's take 2. He wishes them a "week with some innovation, but not a lot, please. Yeah, I like that." Then he says some stuff about the 1 Billion App Countdown. He asks for apps and ideas. He says, "I hope you're thinking of some great ideas because I'm thinking of some great ideas too!...What are your ideas?" Eventually at Take 16, PC gives up and Mac tells everyone to have a great conference.

Release dates (U.S. campaign)[link]

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, during the 2006 Primetime Emmy Awards.
• In September, three new commercials made their debut on Canadian television, one (Better Results) features Gisele Bündchen alongside Hodgman and Long in an advertisement that had been sighted at certain Apple Stores. They were published on Apple's website on October 9, 2006.
• In October 2006, 3 new ads, Better Results, Counselor, and Self Pity, were sighted on U.S. network TV.
• In late November 2006, 3 new ads were released, Gift Exchange, Sales Pitch, and Meant for Work.
• On December 19, 2006, the ad Goodwill was released on apple.com. Wall Street Journal disappeared from the See All the Ads section afterward (but is still on the site).
• On January 9, 2007, with the introduction on Macworld 2007, Surgery was added, and Network was removed from the menu.
• On January 16, 2007, Sabotage and Tech Support were added, and the 2006 holiday ads (Gift Exchange and Goodwill) and Better were removed. Network was added once again.
• On February 6, 2007, Security was added.
• On February 7, 2007, Gift Exchange, Goodwill, and Better were re-added, meaning that all of the U.S. campaign ads except for Wall Street Journal could be seen at apple.com/getamac/ads.
• On April 11, 2007, Computer Cart and Flashback were added.
• On April 14, 2007, The Stuffed ad was added.
• On May 7, 2007, Choose a Vista, Genius, and Party Is Over were added.
• On November 11, 2007, PR Lady, Boxer, and Podium were added. Network, iLife, and Restarting were no longer on the menu.^[9]
• In November 2007, an internet-only ad, Sign, was sighted.
• On December 4, 2007, Misprint was added.
• On December 6, 2007, Now What? was added.
• On December 13, 2007, a fully claymation Santa Claus ad was added.
• On January 6, 2008, Referee was added in conjunction with the beginning of the NFL playoffs.
• On January 13, 2008, Time Machine was added.
• As of January 25, 2008, the Web-exclusive ad Not was sighted on the Yahoo! News opening page. It also appeared at the New York Times site and elsewhere.
• On April 1, 2008, Breakthrough and Yoga were added.
• On April 9, 2008, Office Stress was added.
• On May 12, 2008, Group and Pep Rally were added.
• On May 13, 2008, Sad Song was added.
• On August 18, 2008, Calming Teas, Throne, Pizza Box, and Off the Air were added.
• On October 19, 2008, Bean Counter, and V Word were added
• On October 20, 2008, Bake Sale was added.
• On December 16, 2008, Tree Trimming, and I Can Do Anything were added.
• On April 19, 2009, Time Traveler, Stacks, Legal Copy, and Biohazard Suit were added.
• On May 12, 2009, Elimination, PC Choice Chat, and Customer Care were added.
• On August 25, 2009, Surprise and Top of the Line were added.
• On August 29, 2009, Trainer was added.
• On September 11, 2009, PC Innovation Lab was added.
• On October 23, 2009, Broken Promises, Teeter Tottering and PC News were added on Windows 7 launch day.

Criticism[link]

In an article for Slate magazine, Seth Stevenson criticized the campaign as being too "mean spirited", suggesting, "isn't smug superiority (no matter how affable and casually dressed) a bit off-putting as a brand strategy?".^[10]

In an article in The Guardian, Charlie Brooker points out that the use of the comedians Mitchell and Webb in the UK campaign is curious. They both star in the sitcom Peep Show in which, to quote the article's author, "Mitchell plays a repressed, neurotic underdog, and Webb plays a selfish, self-regarding poseur... So when you see the ads, you think, 'PCs are a bit rubbish yet ultimately lovable, whereas Macs are just smug, preening tossers.'"^[11]

Differentiating between a Mac and a PC[link]

Many computer experts have argued over the definition of PC, or personal computer, which can raise questions about the actual differentiation between a Mac and a PC. Editor in Chief of PC Magazine, Lance Ulanoff states in a 2008 column in PC Magazine:

I'm a PC[link]

Microsoft responded to the Get a Mac advertising campaign in late 2008 by releasing the I'm a PC campaign, featuring Microsoft employee Sean Siler as a John Hodgman look-alike. While Apple's ads show personifications of both Mac and PC systems, the Microsoft ads show PC users instead proudly defining themselves as PCs.

Parodies[link]

Videos parodying the Get a Mac campaign have been published online by Novell, to promote Linux, represented by a young and fashionable woman.^[13] A different set of videos parodying the campaign have been produced, but with Linux portrayed as a typical male nerd.^[14]

Late Show with David Letterman made parodies of the Get a Mac campaign, from Mac's wig being taken off by PC to reveal baldness, to Mac as David Hasselhoff eating a cheeseburger drunk.

An amateur video series has been posted on YouTube, consisting of superhero and supervillain action figures discussing their differences in "I'm a Marvel...and I'm a DC". The characters usually compare the performances of recent superhero films from both Marvel and DC.^[15]

On an episode of Air Farce Live, aired around the time of the Canadian federal election, had a sketch where one of the comedians was introduced as a Liberal, and the other as a PC (Progressive Conservative). The sketch was split into separate parts during the episode.

To promote Steam on Mac, Valve made a parody with Portal and Team Fortress 2 sentry guns.^[16]

City of Heroes offered a series of online video parodies with a commercial featuring dialog centered around two machinima characters. They all start the same: one proclaiming "I'm a hero" and the other proclaiming "I'm a villain." The video was made to promote their new Mac edition of the game for OS X computers, released in February 2009.

Instant Star and Degrassi: The Next Generation were in a parody where they would describe their own shows. Alexz Johnson portrayed Instant Star (Johnson portrays Jude Harrison in the show) and Miriam McDonald portrayed Degrassi (McDonald portrays Emma Nelson in the show).

T-Mobile USA launched in 2010 an ad campaign for the T-Mobile 4G product, which features model/actress Carly Foulkes as a 4G phone going up against Apple's iPhone 4 which at the time was exclusively on competitor AT&T Mobility.^[17] (Apple has since released a CDMA-compatible iPhone for Verizon Wireless.) The commercials are strikingly similar as both feature a white background and two people representing the products.

Another web parody of the ads compares Nintendo's Wii game system against Sony's PlayStation 3, with the Wii represented by an attractive blonde in a two-piece swimsuit and the PS3 represented by a rather husky woman in a nerd-like outfit.

Supernews made 2 shorts based on the "Get a Mac" ads, which features Bill Gates and Steve Jobs fighting each other. The first one is the highest viewed video in Current's Youtube Channel with over 3,000,000 views.

See also[link]

• Apple Switch ad campaign
• Apple evangelist
• Cola Wars

References[link]

v t e Apple Inc. History Outline Founders Steve Jobs Steve Wozniak Ronald Wayne Board of directors Current Bill Campbell Millard Drexler Al Gore Tim Cook (CEO) Andrea Jung Arthur D. Levinson (Chairman) Ronald Sugar Bob Iger Former Jerry York Executives Current Tim Cook Eddy Cue Scott Forstall Jonathan Ive Bob Mansfield Peter Oppenheimer Phil Schiller Bruce Sewell Jeff Williams John Browett Former Ron Johnson Mark Papermaster Bertrand Serlet Sina Tamaddon Hardware products Apple TV iPad Original 2 3rd iPhone Original 3G 3GS 4 4S iPod Classic Nano Shuffle Touch Mac iMac MacBook MacBook Air MacBook Pro Mini Pro Discontinued products Accessories AirPort Thunderbolt Display iPod accessories Mighty Mouse Magic Mouse Magic Trackpad Keyboard Time Capsule Software products Aperture Bento FileMaker Pro Final Cut Studio GarageBand iLife iOS iTunes iWork Logic Studio Mac OS X Server QuickTime Safari Xsan Stores and services Developer AppleCare Apple Specialist Apple Store online App Store Certifications Game Center iAd Genius Bar iBookstore iTunes Store Mac App Store iWork.com MobileMe iCloud One to One ProCare Companies Braeburn Capital FileMaker Inc. Acquisitions Emagic FingerWorks Intrinsity Lala NeXT Nothing Real P.A. Semi Silicon Color Siri Spruce Technologies Related Advertising 1984 Think Different Get a Mac iPods Slogans Design IDg Typography History Community Criticism Litigation Book Category Portal Project Commons Template

Mac or MAC may refer to:

Aviation[link]

• Martin's Air Charter, now Martinair
• Mean Aerodynamic Chord
• Merchant aircraft carrier, used during World War II by Britain and the Netherlands
• Metropolitan Airports Commission, the operator of airports in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area
• Mid-air collision, a type of aviation accident
• Military Airlift Command, the predecessor of the Air Mobility Command of the United States Air Force

Biology[link]

• Membrane attack complex, one of the immune system functions using complement
• Minimum alveolar concentration, a concept used to compare the strengths of anaesthetic vapours
• Mitochondrial apoptosis-induced channel, the cytochrome c release pore of apoptotic mitochondria
• Mycobacterium avium complex, a group of environmental pathogens

Business and economics[link]

• Make-up Art Cosmetics, cosmetics brand, better known as M•A•C
• Manufacture d'armes de Châtellerault, French state arms manufacture
• Marginal Abatement Cost, a concept in environmental economics
• Material adverse change
• Maximum Acceptable/allowable Concentration, see threshold limit value
• Money Access Card, a type of debit card
• Morgan Advanced Ceramics, a ceramic manufacturing company

Computing and telecommunications[link]

• .mac, a file extension for macros in Agilent ChemStation
• .Mac, a former name of MobileMe
• MAC address, Media Access Control address or Ethernet Hardware Address (EHA)
• Mac OS, an operating system of Apple's Macintosh
• MAC times, file system metadata which record when an object was last "modified" (contents), "accessed" (read), and "changed" (permissions) (the last one varies between operating systems; for instance, Unix/Linux tracks "change", while Windows tracks "creation" instead)
• Macintosh, a brand of personal computers and computer operating systems made by Apple Inc.
• Mandatory access control, a type of access control in computer security
• Media Access Control, sublayer of Data Link layer
• Message authentication code, used to authenticate a message in cryptography
• Migration Authorisation Code, a unique code used when switching between DSL ISPs in the UK.
• Mission Assurance Category, a designation used in the United States Department of Defense. It reflects the importance of an information system for the successful completion of a DoD mission, especially in regard to availability and integrity.
• Multiplexed Analogue Components
• Multiply–accumulate or Multiplier–accumulator

Fictional characters[link]

• Mac, a character in the pixar movie Cars
• Captain Mac, a character in Final Fantasy Mystic Quest
• Mac, a character in the television series Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends
• Mac, a character from Apple's "Get A Mac" ad campaign, representing a Macintosh computer
• Mac, one of the two Goofy Gophers
• Mac (Green Wing), a character on the British sitcom Green Wing
• Mac (It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia), a character on the FX television sitcom It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
• Mac, the alien from the film Mac and Me
• Little Mac, a character in the Punch-Out!! video games

• Mac Gargan, an enemy of Spider-Man
• Mac Taylor, a character from the TV series CSI: NY

• Dr. McAfferty, a character from the CHERUB series of young adult spy novels
• MacGyver, a television series
• Cindy "Mac" Mackenzie, a character from the TV series Veronica Mars
• Lt. Col. Sarah MacKenzie, a character from the TV series JAG

Museums[link]

• Archaeology Museum of Catalonia (Museu d'Arqueologia de Catalunya), an archaeology museum in Catalonia
• Le Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal, Montreal Museum of Contemporary Art
• Museum of Anatolian Civilizations (Anadolu Medeniyetleri Müzesi), a museum in Ankara, Turkey
• Niterói Contemporary Art Museum (Museu de Arte Contemporânea de Niterói), a museum in Niterói, Brazil

People[link]

• Mac, nickname of Clark McConachy, a snooker player
• 'Mac', nickname of Ian McCulloch (singer), lead singer of English band Echo & The Bunnymen
• Mac, a nickname for Mark McGwire, a former Major League Baseball player for the Oakland Athletics and St. Louis Cardinals
• "Mac", nom de plume of Stanley McMurtry, British cartoonist
• Mac (rapper), rapper formerly signed to No Limit Records
• Mac, member and musician of So Solid Crew
• Mạc (surname), a Vietnamese surname
• Alison Mac, British actress
• Bernie Mac, a comedian from the United States of America
• Mac Dre, rapper from Vallejo, California
• Mac King, an American comedy magician
• Mac Mall, rapper from Vallejo, California
• Mac Suzuki, a Major League Baseball pitcher

Politics[link]

• Mainland Affairs Council, an agency under the Executive Yuan of the Republic of China
• Military Affairs Commission in PRC: see Central Military Commission (People's Republic of China)
• Mouvement Autonome Casamançais (Casamancian Autonomous Movement), a defunct political party in Casamance, Senegal
• Mouvement d'Action Civique, a defunct Belgian far right group
• Movimento de Acção Nacional (National Action Movement), a defunct Portuguese far right group
• Movimiento de Acción Conservadora (Conservative Action Movement), a political party in Nicaragua
• Mudiad Amddiffyn Cymru, a Welsh organization responsible for a number of bombing incidents
• Municipal Assistance Corporation, created by the State of New York in 1975 to deal with New York City's fiscal crisis
• Muslims Against Crusades, a UK based Islamic group noted for burning poppies during the Remembrance Day silence in 2010

Sports[link]

• M. A. Chidambaram Stadium, a cricket stadium in India
• Macomb Area Conference, a Michigan high school football conference
• Maranhão Atlético Clube, a Brazilian football (soccer) club
• Marília Atlético Clube, a Brazilian football (soccer) club
• Mid-American Conference, an NCAA Division I (Football Bowl Subdivision) sports conference
• Mid-Atlantic Athletic Conference, a Washington, D.C. area high school athletic league
• Middle Atlantic Conferences, an NCAA Division III sports conference
• Mississippi Athletic Conference, a high school sports conference in the Iowa Quad Cities
• Mountain Athletic Conference (NCHSAA), a North Carolina high school athletic conference

Non-profit organizations[link]

• mac (Birmingham), formerly known as the Midlands Arts Centre, in Birmingham, UK
• Malaysian AIDS Council

Other[link]

• Mac, Gaelic for "son", a prefix to family names often appearing in Irish and Scottish names
• MAC, Amtrak station code of Macomb (Amtrak station), Illinois, United States
• Mac (Beanie Baby), a Beanie Baby cardinal produced by Ty, Inc. in 1999
• Mac (novel), by John MacLean
• Mac (or Big Mac), nickname for the Oklahoma State Penitentiary located in McAlester, Oklahoma
• Mac, informal name of McMaster University in Canada
• Mac-10 (Military Armament Corporation Model 10, officially the M10), a highly compact, blowback operated machine pistol
• Mac-11 (Military Armament Corporation Model 11), a sub-compact version of the Model 10 machine pistol
• Fleetwood Mac, an influential rock group
• Macaroni, a type of pasta
• The Macdonald Campus of McGill University, Canada
• Mackintosh, a raincoat made of rubberized cloth (e.g. Jet-Black Mac)
• Magnetic Accelerator Cannons, fictional coilguns used by factions of Halo in the Halo video game series
• Manhattan Association of Cabarets & Clubs
• Michigan Agricultural College, the former name of Michigan State University
• Modern adult contemporary, a radio format
• Modern Army Combatives, hand-to-hand combat training
• Monitored anæsthesia care
• Monster Attack Crew, a fictional pilot squadron in Ultraman Leo
• Mount Aloysius College, a Catholic college in central Pennsylvania
• Musical Arts Conference, a marching band competition circuit
• UCLA Marina Aquatic Center, located in Marina del Rey, California

See also[link]

• Mach (disambiguation)
• Mack (disambiguation)
• Mak (disambiguation)
• Mark (disambiguation)

This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

Mac Miller
Mac Miller performing at the Governor's Ball in 2011.
Background information
Birth name	Malcolm McCormick
Also known as	Easy Mac
Born	(1992-01-19) January 19, 1992 (age 20) Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Genres	Hip hop
Occupations	Rapper, producer, actor, songwriter
Years active	2007 – present
Labels	Rostrum Records, Most Dope Entertainment
Associated acts	Wiz Khalifa, Beedie, The Ill Spoken, I.D. Labs, Big Jerm
Website	www.macmillerofficial.com

Malcolm McCormick (born January 19, 1992),^[1] known by his stage name Mac Miller (previously Easy Mac), is an American rapper from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He is signed to Rostrum Records and released his debut album Blue Slide Park on November 8, 2011.^[2]

Early life[link]

Malcolm McCormick was born on January 19, 1992, the son of an architect and a photographer, and raised in the Point Breeze part of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.^[1][3] His father is Christian and his mother is Jewish; Miller was raised Jewish and had a Bar Mitzvah.^[4][5][6] Before attending Taylor Allderdice High School, Miller attended Winchester Thurston School.^[7] In high school, Miller decided to focus on his hip-hop career, later noting, "Once I hit 15, I got real serious about it and it changed my life completely ... I used to be into sports, play all the sports, go to all the high school parties. But once I found out hip-hop is almost like a job, that's all I did."^[1] Miller, a self-taught musician, plays piano, guitar, drums, and bass.^[1][8]

Career[link]

Before embarking on a solo career, Miller was part of rap group The Ill Spoken together with fellow Pittsburgh rapper, Beedie. The Ill Spoken released the mixtape How High in 2008. Prior to changing his name to Mac Miller, he was known as EZ Mac and released the mixtape But My Mackin Ain't Easy in 2007 at 15 years old. In 2009 Mac Miller released two mixtapes The Jukebox: Prelude to Class Clown and The High Life before getting signed to Rostrum Records.

In early 2010, Miller signed with Rostrum Records.^[9] Rostrum president Benjy Grinberg met Miller while recording with Wiz Khalifa at ID Labs.^[10] Although Grinberg started giving Miller advice, he didn't show any interest in getting involved with his career until the artist began work on the K.I.D.S. mixtape, when, as he later told HitQuarters, Grinberg "noticed a maturation in his sound and approach to his music."^[10] By that point Miller had started attracting interest from different record companies but chose Rostrum due to its location in his hometown and association with Wiz Khalifia.^[10] K.I.D.S. was released by the label in August 2010.^[1] The mixtape was inspired by the movie Kids. A significant breakthrough came in late 2010 when Miller embarked on his first "Incredibly Dope Tour", selling out at every location on the tour.^[10]

Miller's 5th^[when?] release was a mixtape titled Best Day Ever. The mixtape features his single "Donald Trump" and the hit songs "Wear My Hat", "BDE Bonus" and "All Around The World." The mixtape featured mainstream producers such as Just Blaze, 9th Wonder, and Chuck Inglish. On November 22, 2010 his first single "Knock Knock" premiered its video on YouTube.^[11]

On March 29, 2011, he released an EP called On And On And Beyond. The six-track work was produced by Rostrum Records.

On July 5, 2011, Miller announced the title of his first album Blue Slide Park on his YouTube channel, set for a Fall release.^[12] In September 2011 it was revealed that Miller would release a mixtape titled 92 Til Infinity hosted by DJ Jazzy Jeff prior to the release of Blue Slide Park.^[13] However, the release did not happen, and it was since then left in planning.

Prior to his 2011 national Blue Slide Park tour, Miller traveled Europe on his "Incredibly Dope Tour" visiting cities such as London, Manchester, and Amsterdam.

On October 14, 2011, Mac Miller released a 13 song mixtape called I Love Life, Thank You for reaching 1,000,000 followers on Twitter. It had features from Sir Michael Rocks of The Cool Kids, Talib Kweli, and Bun B.

On November 2011, Blue Slide Park debuted at number 1 on the Billboard 200 with first week sales of 144,000 copies.^[14]

On March 23, 2012, Mac Miller released his seventh mixtape called Macadelic. He released "Loud" as a single off the mixtape as well as filiming a music video. Miller also released a video for "Thoughts From A Balcony".

Awards and honors[link]

In 2009 at age 17, he made it to the final four in Rhyme Calisthenics, the MC competition at Shadow Lounge.^[15] In 2010, he won two awards at the Pittsburgh hip-hop awards.^[16] His video "Live Free" won video of the year and he also won Best Artist Under 21. In September 2011 Maroon 5 announced that Mac Miller will be featured on their remix of their top chart song "Moves Like Jagger".^[17] In 2011 Miller was one of eleven rappers featured in XXL magazine's Freshman Class of 2011.^[18] The video for the first single released from this mixtape, "Donald Trump", has reached over 53 million views on YouTube^[19] and Donald Trump himself, who is referenced on the song, acknowledged the video on the social networking site Twitter when it reached 20 million views stating "Who wouldn't be flattered?". He declared that Miller was the “new Eminem,” and stated “I am very proud of him.”^[20] Endorsements by Donald Trump helped Miller become increasingly more popular. The song also charted on iTunes debuting at #73 and peaking at #40,^[21] before Miller was signed to a major label. In 2011, his first TV appearance took place in the VH1 show Single Ladies; he played a fictionalized version of himself that succeeded in selling one of his mixtapes to one of the main characters. Also in 2011, he was a part of MTV Jams Fab Five artists.^[22]

Musical philosophy[link]

Mac Miller includes Big L, Lauryn Hill, The Beastie Boys, Outkast, and A Tribe Called Quest among his influences.^[8] He also has a close relationship with fellow Pittsburgh rapper Wiz Khalifa, saying "Wiz has been a big brother to me with this music thing so far. Our relationship is beyond music. He really is just my homie, whether I will be making music or not."^[23]

As an artist, Mac Miller has performed in a number of different styles. His classic musical style contains lyrics focused on marijuana, women, and "a dream". However, Miller has lately been experimenting with new styles in his music, such as in his 2012 mixtape Macadelic. Most songs have a heavy psychedelic influence, and include lyrics with deeper meaning. Also, older artists and music performers are praised on some of Mac's new works (the beginning of "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" by the Beatles is used as an interlude for the song "Loud").

Discography[link]

Studio albums

• Blue Slide Park (2011)

Extended plays

• On and On and Beyond (2011)

Mixtapes

• But My Mackin' Ain't Easy (2007)
• The Jukebox: Prelude to Class Clown (2009)
• The High Life (2009)
• K.I.D.S. (2010)
• Best Day Ever (2011)
• I Love Life, Thank You (2011)
• Macadelic (2012)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official Mac Miller Website

Andre Louis Hicks (July 5, 1970 – November 1, 2004), better known by his stage name Mac Dre, was an American rapper, and the initial founder of Thizz Entertainment, and the now defunct Romp Productions.^[1][2]

Biography[link]

Andre Hicks was born in Oakland, California and moved to Vallejo at a young age. In the early 1980s, Hicks began his rap career under the stage name "Mac Dre", and by the middle of the 1990s his music had gained widespread popularity throughout the Bay Area thanks in part to the independent music distributor: .^[1] He started robing pizza parlors in vallejo California at the age of 25

Mac Dre recorded his first three albums between 1989 and 1991.^[1] In 1992 Mac Dre was charged with conspiracy to commit robbery.^[1] At the time Hicks owned the record label, Romp Productions.^[1] His many references to "Romper Room" in his songs, bore a similarity the "Romper Room Gang", a group of robbers who had been victimizing banks and pizza parlors in Vallejo.^{[citation needed]} Following allegations by authorities about his membership in the gang, Hicks was sentenced to five years in prison.^[1][3] He refused a deal offered by law enforcement authorities that would have required him to inform on other gang members.

Romper Room Gang[link]

Growing up near the Crest, Dre was subject to the crime and poverty that comes with living in a low-income area that had been destroyed by crack cocaine. Dre’s inventive lyrics and ability to articulate life in the Crest gave him instant credibility with his underground audience. However, before he could reach that audience, Mac Dre needed money, which is where his gang, the Romper Room, came in.

According to Detective McGraw of the Vallejo Police Department (VPD), in a Black Entertainment Television (BET) documentary entitled American Gangster: Romper Room Gang, the Romper Room gang was a tightly knit band from the Crest. Two of these boys, Jamal Diggs and Simon “Kilo Curt” Curtis, would later mature into the main players in the Romper Room gang. Within the documentary’s narrative, Diggs states that the Romper Room gang’s name came from a kid’s show, and also due to the younger boys pulling pranks on the older “homeboys” from the gangs in the area. Soon, the gang’s criminal activities would evolve from drug dealing to bank robbery while Dre began to evolve from a neighborhood kid to an underground rap star.

According to Diggs, Dre’s first appearance as a rapper was at a local Boys Club. By the late 1980s, Dre had released his first song, “Too Hard For the Fucking Radio.” It was on a cassette tape, and was passed around until it became an “underground sensation.” Based on the success of “Too Hard For the Fucking Radio,” Dre released his first album, Young Black Brother, which coincided with the time the Romper Room gang began committing robberies, which police believed were financing Dre’s music.

During the early 1990s, the Romper Room gang needed a more lucrative way to earn money, and began doing “licks,” or robberies, of pizza parlors. According to Diggs, it was “easy money” if you picked the right pizza parlor, and robbed it at the right time. Diggs articulated that the robberies would be conducted in “takeover style” in which the robbers would quickly enter, secure any patrons and employees, demand money, and leave quickly. Diggs states that everything was always done in the same fashion, quick and methodical.

The VPD had received several leads that made them believe that those responsible were tied to the Crest, began surveilling the Crest, and following those who came out of it. Since there were only two ways in and out, it was a naturally “insulated” community, which made surveilling it easier in some aspects, and harder in others. According to Diggs, they all knew they were being watched, and they were being stopped constantly. Curtis claimed “they aren’t even calling us by our government names;” instead they referred to all three by the names they rapped under. Curtis also claimed that due to the “harassment” from the VPD, Dre wrote Punk Police, which taunted the VPD’s inability to arrest the criminals responsible for the robberies, and detailed the harassment Dre faced.

All three believed that they were still safe, since there was no way that law enforcement linked them to any specific crimes. That would change when the FBI and VPD found an informant. According to FBI Agent Michael Repucci, during the trial of Diggs, Dre, and Curtis, the FBI and VPD’s informant, Cory DeAndre Dunn, was used by the three men to steal getaway cars used in the robberies. The FBI rented a car for Dunn to claim that he had stolen it, and used a “trustee” at the jail to make the car appear as if it had been stolen by altering the steering column. Dunn was then given the car, and was supposed to give it to Dre, Diggs, and Curtis to use in a robbery in Fresno. According to Detective Becker of VPD, Dunn was “wired for sound,” and that during the drive from Vallejo to a hotel in Fresno, Diggs, Dre, and Curtis discussed the robbery, which was scheduled to take place March 26.

According to FBI Agent Lindsay Gentry, who worked the surveillance on March 26, there were three people in the car, Dre, Diggs, and Curtis, along with the informant. Gentry observed the car enter downtown Fresno where it made numerous circles, first going past the Bank of America, then the First Interstate Bank. According to Gentry, there were numerous vehicles and an airplane involved in the surveillance, which were necessary since Diggs, Curtis, and Dre engaged in counter surveillance techniques that consisted of rapid lane changes and erratic driving including excessive speeding, and slowing down unnecessarily.

According to Fresno Police Department Detective Frank Rose, once the suspect felt safe enough, they went to the bank intending to rob it. However, once they arrived at the Bank of America, Diggs observed a news van, just as he was exiting the vehicle to commit the robbery. Diggs, not sure what was taking place, immediately got back into the car and sped off. All three men were arrested shortly there after.^[4]

While awaiting trial, Dre spent a year in the Fresno County Jail, where he recorded, via telephone, most of Back In Da Hood. Dre also gave an interview via phone to 106 KMEL, a Bay Area based radio station, to inform people of the circumstances of his arrest. During the interview, Dre mentioned that Dunn was an FBI informant. KMEL broadcasted the entire interview, including the portion labeling Dunn a snitch. The next day the FBI showed up and spoke with the owners of the station, warning them of the consequences if the informant’s name was broadcast again.

During his trial, Dre explained his song, “Punk Police,” which was played during opening statements. According to Dre, his song was a way for him to express how he was being treated by the VPD, and the criminal justice system. Dre claimed that he was innocent in the song: “I’m not criminal minded, punk police. I’m a dope rhyme dealer, not a money stealer.” Dre went on to make fun of the VPD’s efforts, as they were “steady accusing, but these cases you losin,” which Dre said meant they were constantly filing charges but could prove nothing. Dre even went so far to call out a specific member of the VPD, “Ima dedicate this to Detective McGraw,” because Dre felt McGraw was the one pushing for the arrest of the Romper Room gang members.^[4]

Dre felt the police brought a case against him because they had to accuse someone and because he was black, rapping:

During questioning, Dre stated that there was a Romper Room gang; however, Dre claimed he was not a member. Dre stated that the Romper Room Gang came into existence when he was sixteen. When I first started hanging out in the Crest, the older generation, the older guys used to call the younger people in the Crest the Romper Room because they used to ride around happy-go-lucky. They named them after the kids TV show “The Romper Room.”

Dre also stated that there were requirements to join, two of which was growing up and living in the Crest, neither of which he met. While Dre claimed he was not a part of these robberies, law enforcement’s primary suspects were financing his music, and that information coupled with an informant’s testimony was enough to send him to prison. In the end, VPD Detective Nichelman stated that the task force believed there were forty-seven robberies that could be attributed to the Romper Room Gang. By 1992, the FBI and the Vallejo Gang Suppression Task Force had enough evidence to prosecute, and convicted Mac Dre of conspiracy to rob a bank, while Diggs was convicted of attempting to rob a bank. According to Diggs, Dre was convicted because Dre refused to “snitch.” After the convictions, the FBI called 106 KMEL, and dedicated a song to Dre, “I Fought the Law, and the Law Won.” Dre was sentenced to five years in a federal institution.^[5]

In prison, Hicks gained some notoriety by recording the lyrics to songs directly over the Fresno County Jail and Lompoc United States Penitentiary inmate telephone. His album, Young Black Brotha, was a result of such efforts, as well as guest appearances on fellow artists' songs, all while Hicks was still imprisoned. A later album, Back 'N Da Hood, was also made up of these prison-recorded songs.^[3] Upon his release in 1996, Mac Dre was a changed man. According to Diggs, instead of wanting to continue his hard-core gang lifestyle, Dre realized that the lifestyle he yearned for was one that included a non-stop party.

Post prison[link]

After his release from prison in 1997, he released Mac Dre Presents the Rompalation. In late 1997 and early 1998 he recorded his second album Stupid Doo Doo Dumb. It was released April 28, 1998. Following those albums, Hicks met with Executive Producer Bernard Gourley and recorded the album Rapper Gone Bad with production help from Tone Cappone, Lev Berlak, and Warren G. This started a new beginning for Mac Dre as he began to release albums steadily, building a huge catalog of music recorded at The Grill Studios in Oakland. In 2000. Mac Dre's audience was growing, and mainstream hip-hop stations were beginning to give Hicks' music more airtime. Hicks relocated to Sacramento, California in 2001, where he began a label, Thizz Entertainment.^[3]

He worked with well-known artists such as Keak da Sneak, E-40, B-Legit, Brotha Lynch Hung, Dubee,^[6] Mistah F.A.B.,^[7] Rydah J. Klyde,^[8] Richie Rich,^[9] Lil Ric^[10] San Quinn, Mars, Yukmouth, PSD, Andre Nickatina, Mac Mall, Smoov-E (aka Eli Meltzer), Messy Marv, and Too Short. He also provided an uncredited hook to the track "Gotta Survive" from Young Lay's Black 'N Dangerous album that featured 2Pac.^[11]

Death[link]

On November 1, 2004, Hicks was a passenger in a vehicle driving on a freeway in Kansas City, Missouri when a gunman shot at his vehicle. The driver crashed and was able to get to a phone to call 911 but Hicks was pronounced dead at the scene from a bullet wound. It was announced in December 2011 that a tipster had came forward with information regarding Mac Dre's death.^[12]

Discography[link]

Main article: Mac Dre discography

Solo albums[link]

• 1993: Young Black Brotha: The Album
• 1998: Stupid Doo Doo Dumb
• 1999: Rapper Gone Bad (Re-Issued in 2004)
• 2000: Heart of a Gangsta, Mind of a Hustla, Tongue of a Pimp (Re-Issued in 2003)
• 2001: Mac Dre's the Name
• 2001: It's Not What You Say... It's How You Say It
• 2002: Thizzelle Washington
• 2003: Al Boo Boo
• 2004: Ronald Dregan: Dreganomics
• 2004: The Genie of the Lamp
• 2004: The Game Is Thick, Vol. 2
• 2007: Pill Clinton
• 2008: Dre Day: July 5th 1970
• 2008: Mac Dre Presents Starters in the Game

Compilation albums & remix albums[link]

• 1996: Mac Dre Presents the Rompalation
• 1999: Mac Dre Presents the Rompalation Volume 2
• 2002: Mac Dre Presents the Rompalation Volume 3
• 2002: Do You Remember?
• 2006: 16 wit Dre (with DJ Backside)
• 2006: 16 wit Dre, Vol. 2 (with DJ Backside)
• 2006: Uncut
• 2007: Starters in the Game
• 2008: The Dre Area
• 2008: What Iz Thizz
• 2008: For the Streets (14 Unreleased Tracks)
• 2012: Da Treasure (EP with unreleased Tracks and Bonus DVD with new footage)

Extended plays & cassettes[link]

• 1989: Young Black Brotha
• 1991: California Livin'
• 1992: Back n da Hood

Best Of albums[link]

• 2002: The Best of Mac Dre
• 2004: The Best of Mac Dre II
• 2006: The Best of Mac Dre Vol. 3
• 2008: The Best of Mac Dre Vol. 4
• 2010: The Best of Mac Dre Vol. 5

Collaboration albums[link]

• 2001: Turf Buccaneers (with Cutthroat Committee)
• 2005: Money iz Motive (with Cutthroat Committee)
• 2005: Da U.S. Open (with Mac Mall)
• 2005: 15 Years Deep (with Da'unda'dogg)
• 2007: DreDiggs: Me & My Cuddie (with J-Diggs)
• 2007: Everybody Ain't Able (with Jay Tee)
• 2008: A Tale of Two Andres (with Andre Nickatina)
• 2009: Maccin' & Doggin' (with Da'unda'dogg)
• 2010: Tha Furly Ghost Vol. 2 (with Dubee)
• 2010: Tha Furly Ghost Vol. 3 (with Husalah)

References[link]

	California portal
	Biography portal
	Hip hop portal