From ‘1984’ to 2026: The complete history of Apple at the Super Bowl

You might have heard that the biggest football game of the year is happening this Sunday (“American football” for those in the U.K.). But it’s not just about the New England Patriots versus the Seattle Seahawks–the Super Bowl is the most-watched sporting event in the U.S. as much for the commercials as for the game.

Apple made what is perhaps the most memorable commercial in Super Bowl history way back in 1984. This often leads to the thought that Apple and the Super Bowl go hand-in-hand, but actually, Apple’s history with the game is quite short. Still, every year we hope Apple uses the biggest stage to showcase or tease a new product. And every year we’re disappointed.

But Apple Music does sponsor the Super Bowl halftime show, and this year it features pop superstar Bad Bunny. Suffice it to say, it will be watched by some 100 million people, one of the largest audiences Apple has ever had. It’s the fourth time Apple has sponsored the show, and, as with the previous shows, it will be a spectacle, though not really a showcase of Apple products.

Before we get to Sunday, here’s a history of Apple at the Super Bowl.

1984 (1984)

Apple’s “1984” ad is often called the greatest commercial in Super Bowl history. Directed by Ridley Scott of “Alien” and “Blade Runner” fame, the 60-second ad only aired once, as one of the first commercials in the third quarter of Super Bowl XVIII. Its theme was based on George Orwell’s novel, “1984,” and the commercial’s bleak, dystopian imagery struck a chord during an era of populist conservatism and the Cold War. It was designed to generate hype for the announcement of the Macintosh a couple of days later on January 24, 1984, and it certainly accomplished its goal.

Scott’s direction left a lasting impression on popular culture, so much so that “Apple” and “Super Bowl” are synonymous–even though this ad didn’t feature a single Apple product.

Lemmings (1985)

In 1985, Apple–well aware of how effective “1984” was–aired a second ad during Super Bowl XIX. Titled “Lemmings,” the commercial was directed by Tony Scott, brother of Ridley, and features a similar tone to promote a new software suite called Macintosh Office, which was designed to connect a Macintosh to a printer and a file server.

The ad tried to capture the tone of “1984” and it definitely left an impression on viewers–just not the one Apple intended. With a massive hype campaign that included seat cushions during the big game and full-page newspaper ads warning viewers to skip their fourth-quarter bathroom break–“Lemmings” didn’t sit well with viewers. People watching found the ad depressing and insulting, and nowhere near as enticing as “1984.”

HAL (1999)

After the “Lemmings” debacle, 15 years went by before Apple decided to debut a new commercial during the Super Bowl. The ad starred HAL from “2001: A Space Odyssey,” and with Stanley Kubrick’s blessing, was part of a theme with the AI antagonist that included the Macworld San Francisco and WWDC keynotes. The ad came during a time when there was growing concern that computers would stop working in the new year because of the Y2K bug, since PCs couldn’t understand the year 2000, and chaos would ensue.

Apple used the ad to promote the Mac’s immunity to the Y2K bug due to its ability to understand years up to 29,940. Even though the Y2K bug turned out to be much ado about nothing, Apple’s third and final Super Bowl ad became a cult hit among fans.

I Fought the Law (2004)

While not technically an Apple ad, Pepsi’s 2004 commercial to announce its partnership with iTunes certainly felt like one. Featuring a Green Day cover of Sonny Curtis’s “I Fought the Law,” the ad featured 16 teenagers who were sued by the RIAA for illegally downloading music from the internet during Napster’s popularity.

Ironically, it’s the only Super Bowl ad here to actually feature an Apple product–not an iPod but an iMac G4. The ad and the promotional campaign were a hit and helped propel the iTunes Music Store, which was barely a year old at the time, to new heights.

Rihanna (2023)

After the HAL commercial, Apple didn’t have a direct presence during the Super Bowl. But Apple came back in 2023 as the major sponsor of the Super Bowl’s show within a show, the halftime presentation. Apple called it the Apple Music Super Bowl LVII Halftime Show featuring Rihanna, who had not performed live in public since 2018.

Apple hyped its new presence at the Super Bowl for weeks leading up to the game within Apple Music’s Road to Halftime section, which included radio shows, live broadcasts, interviews, and Apple Music playlists.

Usher (2024)

Apple’s sponsorship of the halftime show wasn’t a one-time thing. Apple came back the next year with the Apple Music Super Bowl LVIII Halftime Show featuring User. Apple Music has a special section dedicated to the show, with a behind-the-scenes video (shot on iPhone, of course), the set list, Spatial Audio versions of songs, an interview, DJ mixes, and radio shows that were live from the Super Bowl.

Kendrick Lamar (2025)

The Apple Music Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show featuring Kendrick Lamar got a lot of buzz because of the “rap beef” between Lamar and Drake that had been going on before the game. According to the NFL, Lamar’s performance attracted 133.5 million viewers, the most ever for a Super Bowl halftime show. That’s a lot of eyes seeing the Apple Music logo. You can relive the performance on Apple Music or on YouTube.

Bad Bunny (2026)

Even though Apple Music is the sponsor of the Super Bowl Halftime Show, the performer is chosen by Roc Nation, the entertainment company owned by rapper Jay-Z, according to The Athletic. This year, the pick is Bad Bunny, who hails from Puerto Rico (a U.S.-governed territory) and last weekend won several Grammy awards, including the coveted Album of the Year. The Bad Bunny Road to Halftime Apple Music site offers Spatial Audio, an interview, and a trailer; it will have more content leading up to and after the show. This year, the Invites app has gotten into the fun too with an “exclusive visual” featuring Bad Bunny.

But will there be a new Apple ad during the big game as well? Thus far, there aren’t any rumors that Apple is running a commercial, but Apple would probably want to keep such a thing under wraps. Plus, it’s common for the halftime show sponsor to run an ad during the Super Bowl—Pepsi, Bridgestone, Sprint, AOL, and others all had separate ads in addition to the sponsorship. A Super Bowl spot is definitely possible, though it’s more likely that it’s a commercial in current rotation and not one that was specially made for the Super Bowl.