KUALA LUMPUR – US tech giant Apple is facing backlash on social media over its latest advertisement for the recently launched iPad Pro.
The advertisement featured several musical instruments including a piano, a guitar, and a metronome crushed under the pressure of an industrial hydraulic press – aiming to promote the possibilities of the iPad Pro.
Other items like easels, paint, cameras, as well as art pieces like a replica of the Head of David were also portrayed to be crushed.
British actor Hugh Grant posted on X, calling it “the destruction of the human experience. Courtesy of Silicon Valley”.
American actor Luke Barnett sarcastically said the final cut of the advertisement was the best they could have come up with.
“If you thought this iPad ad was weird, you should have seen the first cut where they lined up all your favourite characters and shot them.”
Renowned video game studio director David Goldfarb said Apple had inadvertently created the ideal metaphor, illustrating how the industry prioritises profits over preserving beauty.
“Unintentionally perfect metaphor for how we are destroying beauty for profit. Bravo”
An X user @Takuta said he was distraught when he saw creative tools being destroyed, and that other creators would share his sentiment.
Another user, @akiroom, is uncomfortable with the advertisement and is ashamed to have been a consumer of Apple products for the last 19 years.
“It is a heartbreaking, uncomfortable, and egotistic advertisement. When I saw this result, I was ashamed to buy Apple products for nineteen years.”
Apple has since apologised for the advertisement, with its marketing vice-president Tor Myhren, releasing a statement to Ad Age.
“Creativity is in our DNA at Apple, and it’s incredibly important to us to design products that empower creatives all over the world.
“Our goal is to always celebrate the myriad of ways users express themselves and bring their ideas to life through iPad.
“We missed the mark with this video, and we’re sorry.” – May 10, 2024