is-creativity-being-crushed-backlash-over-apple-s-new-ipad-pro-ad

Apple's latest advertisement for the new iPad Pro has generated significant controversy and criticism online following its release by the tech giant on Tuesday.

 

The controversial ad, titled "Crush" features a hydraulic press systematically destroying various creative instruments cherished by artists and consumers over the years, including pianos, record players, piles of paint, books, cameras, and relics of arcade games.

 

The ad has drawn criticism all across social media platforms. 

What do you think of Apple's new ipad ad?

Instead of paying homage to tool of human creativity from which the ipad had grown, they appear to be crushing them like unnecessarily remnants of the past.

Who needs a violin, or a piano when you've got a thin ipad? pic.twitter.com/z1DB0HjYQa

— 🚨 Katherine Brodsky (@mysteriouskat) May 9, 2024

The climax of the destruction reveals a pristine new iPad Pro, with a narrator declaring it as "the most powerful iPad ever" and emphasizing its thinness.

 

Apple has recently issued an apology in response to this backlash surrounding a promotional advertisement for its newest iPad Pro model, as reported by Variety.

 

While Apple's intention appears to showcase the innovative features of its latest product, the ad has been widely criticized as tone-deaf by numerous marketing experts and viewers alike.

 

Americus Reed II, a professor of marketing at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, expressed a disturbing reaction to the ad, highlighting the perceived juxtaposition of technology crushing nostalgic joy from the past.

 

The release of the ad coincides with a time of heightened uncertainty and fear among many individuals regarding the potential replacement of traditional practices by technological advancements, particularly with the rapid commercialization of generative artificial intelligence.

 

The imagery of beloved items being destroyed further intensifies these concerns, according to Reed and others.

 

Celebrities also joined the chorus of criticism on social media platforms.

 

Actor Hugh Grant reposted Apple CEO Tim Cook's sharing of the ad on the platform X, remarking, "The destruction of the human experience. Courtesy of Silicon Valley."

 

Some observers interpreted the ad as a metaphor for the broader impact of big tech on creativity, with filmmaker Justine Bateman stating on X that the commercial "crushes the arts."