Apple apologizes for viral ad “destroying the human experience” | Apple

Apple apologized on Thursday for the announcement of its latest iPad Pro model, which shows an animation of musical instruments and other symbols of creativity being smashed, the magazine reported. Ad Age.

“Our goal is always to celebrate the myriad ways users express themselves and bring their ideas to life through iPad. We missed the objective with this video and we apologize,” said the brand.

The ad, titled Crushhas more than a million views on Apple’s YouTube channel and was shared by the brand’s CEO, Tim Cook, on X. It shows a variety of creative tools and objects, such as a camera, a guitar, a piano and paint, to be destroyed by an industrial crusher.

Then, the shredder reveals the new iPad, symbolizing all the potential that the new, thinner model encompasses.

Internet users criticized the ad, classifying it as insensitive, and considered it an undesirable departure from the company’s historical positioning, which considers its brand to be nonconformist, human-friendly and an antidote to a dystopian and colorless world.

In a post on X, actor Hugh Grant said that the ad showed “the destruction of the human experience, courtesy of Silicon Valley”. Justine Bateman, an American director who has warned about the impact of artificial intelligence on the sector, said that Apple “crush art” in the new ad and that “technology and AI are means to destroy the arts and society in general”.

In response, the brand stated that “creativity is in Apple’s DNA” and that “it is incredibly important” for executives to “design products that empower creatives around the world.” The apology came from Tor Myhren, vice-president. president of marketing communications at Apple, in a statement sent to Ad Age.

The Cupertino, California-based technology giant on Tuesday unveiled the tablet with a new chip for artificial intelligence computing, at a time when it is rushing to catch up to its rivals in Big Tech in a race to dominate that emerging technology. Apple said the iPad Pro, which became available to order on Tuesday, has updated displays and is “the thinnest Apple product ever.”