Apple's "Get a Mac" commercials made stars out of largely unknown actors Justin Long and John Hodgman.  It also helped propel Apple in its recent campaign of market share gains over the last several years.  Whether the commercials claims of how "buggy" and virus-prone PCs are were truthful or not, the commercials proved the reality that a well-crafted smear campaign often does work in changing public perception.

However, the commercials may be finally coming to a close.  In an interview with entertainment news site A.V. Club, Justin Long was asked about the status of the commercials, which have been noticeably absent for the last couple months.

Replied Long, "You know, I think they might be done. In fact, I heard from John, I think they’re going to move on. I can’t say definitively, which is sad, because not only am I going to miss doing them, but also working with John. I’ve become very close with him, and he’s one of my dearest, greatest friends. It was so much fun to go do that job, because there’s not a lot to it for me. A lot of it is just keeping myself entertained between takes, and there’s no one I’d rather do it with than John."

The "Get a Mac" ads were made by TBWA\Media Arts Lab, Apple's advertising firm.  Directed by Phil Morrison, the commercials depict PC (Microsoft) as a stodgy, befuddled, error-prone middle age man and Macs as a hip, sympathetic, confident young man.  PC and Mac act out a little vignette in each commercial, with the typical message being how Macs are superior and less error prone.

The commercials won a Grand Effie Award in 2007 (the advertising world's equivalent of the Academy Awards).  In the UK the commercials were acted out by a different pair, David Mitchell and Robert Webb.  In Japan, yet another duo, the Rahmens, acted out the skits.

The last major "Get a Mac" push was a series of commercials aimed at extinguishing Windows 7's thunder.  In the end they had little success at that object, though perhaps they helped drive Apple sales back into gains after a brief slip in computer sales.