# Apple “Get a Mac”

> Apple’s 66 US Mac/PC TV spots became a template for gaming spoofs and rival ads.

- Owner: Apple
- Kind: Campaign
- Sector: Technology
- Seed date: 2006-05-01
- Milestone date: 2007-06-11
- Date basis: Documented milestone; not a measured attention peak.
- Spread Score: 36 (Niche, provisional), v1.3
- Mechanics: Response chain, Controversy, Platform jump, Press loop, Pairing

## Summary

Apple launched paid Mac/PC spots, followed by web parodies and local casts. G4TV and Microsoft answered with their own spots. The Grand Effie report is a milestone anchor; no measured attention peak was recovered.

## Timeline

- 2006-04-27 — Steve Jobs (Open web) — Steve Jobs told shareholders that Apple would launch a new television ad campaign the following week.
- 2006-05-01 — Apple (TV) — Apple aired six Mac/PC spots and posted them on its website.
- 2006-05-03 — WIRED (Open web) — WIRED linked to The Joy of Tech’s comic parody of the Mac/PC ads.

The full timeline, metrics and sources are on the case page, or via the Pro API (https://howitspread.com/developers).

Canonical URL: https://howitspread.com/cases/get-a-mac

Cite as: How It Spread (2026). “Apple “Get a Mac”.” Case HIS-01630. Spread Score v1.3: 36/100. Updated 2026-10-23. https://howitspread.com/id/HIS-01630