Apple’s latest advertisement for its new ultra thin iPad Pro is “destructive”, says the social media.
Apple unveiled its iPad Pro at a recent Let Loose event and aired the new iPad Pro ad called Crush on Social Media. Given that Apple has a reputation of being popular in the artist community, many creative professionals were not very thrilled about the ad as according to them it is literally ‘crushing’ the human creativity. The ad was allegedly trying to show how highly advanced technology like the ‘iPad’ are superior.
What’s in the Advertisement?
Apple’s new iPad Pro advertisement named "Crushed", opens with a nostalgic journey through human creativity. It starts with the rhythmic ticking of a mechanical metronome, followed by a glimpse of a record player and then transitions to a scene of various creative tools including musical instruments, a CRT TV, paint cans, a globe, a piano, an arcade game, a sculptural human head bust, and a trumpet, arranged on a metal slab in a warehouse-like setting.
Above all of these things is a metal slab that crushes the things by a “hydraulic press”. Finally, after the press has crushed all the items, the metal slab lifts up again, leading up to the reveal of the ‘The ultra-thin iPad, with a background music of Sonny and Cher's "All I Ever Need Is You". “The most powerful iPad ever is also the thinnest,” says a female voice. An Apple logo appears on screen, and in exactly one minute, the ad is over.
For those of you who don't know, Apple appears to be following the social media trend of seeing things crushed in a hydraulic press. In recent years, videos of hydraulic presses breaking everything from electronics to candies have gained a lot of popularity, partly because of how fascinating it is to watch things break under pressure.
The ‘Heated’ Backlash
Apple CEO Tim Cook shared the advertisement on X, “Meet the new iPad Pro: the thinnest product we’ve ever created, the most advanced display we’ve ever produced, with the incredible power of the M4 chip. Just imagine all the things it’ll be used to create.”
Meet the new iPad Pro: the thinnest product we’ve ever created, the most advanced display we’ve ever produced, with the incredible power of the M4 chip. Just imagine all the things it’ll be used to create. pic.twitter.com/6PeGXNoKgG— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) May 7, 2024
Apple has a reputation for being very creative in their ads, this time it seems the ‘creative’ part became offensive to the ‘creative’ professionals themselves for showing the destruction of an array of beautiful creative objects. Thus, receiving a severe backlash on social media.
‘Creative’ Professional Slamming Apple’s Ad
English actor Hugh Grant referred to the ad as “the destruction of the human experience. Courtesy of Silicon Valley.”
The destruction of the human experience. Courtesy of Silicon Valley. https://t.co/273XB3CfnF— Hugh Grant (@HackedOffHugh) May 8, 2024
Ed Solomon, screenwriter for Men in Black posted “Who needs human life and everything that makes it worth living? Dive into this digital simulacrum and give us your soul. Sincerely, Apple.”
Reed Morano, Emmy-winning director of Handmaid’s Tale tagged Cook in a post and said, “Read the Room Bro. Cuz this shit is actually Psychotic.”
Producer Asif Kapadia pointed out how tech giants often benefit from artists' work without giving them fair compensation. "Like iPads but don't know why anyone thought this ad was a good idea. It is the most honest metaphor for what tech companies do to the arts, to artists, musicians, creators, writers, filmmakers: squeeze them, use them, not pay well, take everything then say it's all created by them," he posted on X.
Filmmaker Justine Bateman also reposted Cook's post and asked "What's wrong with you?" “Why did@Apple do an ad that crushes the arts? Tech and #AI means to destroy the arts and society in general. This is not making things better. This is just making some people insanely wealthy, at the expense of all of us. “The love of money is the root of all evil" Bateman wrote on X.
Award-winning writer Hari Kunzru too tweeted the Crush ad, saying: "Crushing the symbols of human creativity to produce a homogenised branded slab is pretty much where the tech industry is at in 2024."
Others, like actor Luke Barnett, felt the ad was just plain weird, while filmmaker Reza Sixo Safai even made a reverse version of it to make a point, indicating that the video in reverse is better metaphorically.
Here’s what social media users commented:
A user criticised the advertisement and wrote, "Crushing symbols of human creativity and cultural achievements to appeal to pro creators, nice. Maybe for the next Apple Watch Pro you should crush sports equipment, show a robot running faster than a man, then turn to the camera and say, “God is dead and we have killed him."
Another user on X posted, "This ad is (unintentional) perfect metaphor for today's creative dark age: compress organic instruments, joyful/imperfect machines, tangible art, our entire physical reality into a soulless, postmodern, read-only device a multi-trillion $ corporation controls what you do with."
One said, “I felt sad when I saw creative tools such as musical instruments and cameras being destroyed. I don't think the creators will like this video.”
I felt sad when I saw creative tools such as musical instruments and cameras being destroyed. I don't think the creators will like this video. Is it my Japanese sensibility that makes me feel this way?— Takuta (@Takuta) May 7, 2024
Another X user added, "Forty years ago, Apple released the 1984 commercial as a bold statement against a dystopian future. Now you are that dystopian future. Congratulations."
One wrote, “Imagine a machine, stamping on human creativity – forever.”
Another user said, “I can’t relate to this video at all. It lacks any respect for creative equipment and mocks the creators.”
Another commenter suggested that “I think the ad would work much better if it was reversed. All the objects should be expanding out of the iPad rather than being crushed into it.”
Demonic inversion
You say "Just imagine all the things it’ll be used to CREATE"
But the video shows a thousand beautiful things being DESTROYED pic.twitter.com/RnLFqtXVVB— Jash Dholani (@oldbooksguy) May 8, 2024
End note
In reaction to Apple's latest iPad Pro advertisement, "Crush” is wild, the entire creative community has taken offence as this advertisement seems to undermine human creativity, to showcase the device's advanced technology. Well, no one really knows Apple's intention behind this advertisement, there now seems to be a disconnect between Apple's marketing approach and the values of some of its core audience, like the Artists.
(Inputs from Agencies)
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