WATCH: Apple issues 'rare' apology after new iPad Pro ad causes outrage
Did Apple bite off more than they could chew with their new ad?
Apple store / Pixabay: matcuz
Clarence Ford speaks to Barbara Friedman about trending online topics. Skip to 5:28 for this one.
Tech giant, Apple released a new ad on Tuesday (7 May), showing a hydraulic press crushing creative instruments — from a piano and record player, to piles of paint, books, cameras and relics of arcade games.
Resulting from the crush? The new iPad Pro.
The Pro sports a new thinner design, a new M4 processor for added processing power, slightly upgraded storage and incorporates dual OLED panels for a brighter, crisper display.
'The most powerful iPad ever is also the thinnest,' a narrator says at the end of the commercial.
But the ad left quite a bruise online.
Critics have called it 'tone-deaf' — with several marketing experts noting that the campaign’s execution 'didn’t land.'
The ad also arrives during a time many feel uncertain or fearful about seeing their work or everyday routines 'replaced' by technological advances — particularly amid the rapid rise of artificial intelligence.
Celebs such as Hugh Grant and Justine Bateman also left their thoughts about the ad on X.
The destruction of the human experience. Courtesy of Silicon Valley. https://t.co/273XB3CfnF
— Hugh Grant (@HackedOffHugh) May 8, 2024
Why did @Apple do an ad that crushes the arts? Tech and #AI means to destroy the arts and society in general.
— Justine Bateman (@JustineBateman) May 9, 2024
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” 1Tim 6:10. pic.twitter.com/PnEYO4H7FB
Following the public's fierce criticism, Apple shared a statement with Ad Age on Thursday (9 May) apologising as the company recognised that the ad did not align with their goal of empowering and celebrating creatives and the arts.
"It was such a misstep visually on Apple's part. However modern it was trying to be, it just didn't work. What they were saying was you can carry all your creativity in this device but it's definitely not how it came across... seeing beautiful musical instruments being crushed didn't sit well with me in a world where we are trying to be sustainable."
- Barbara Friedman, Barb's Wire
Apple will no longer run the ad on television.
“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.”
- Tor Myhren, Marketing Communications, Vice President - Apple
Scroll up to the audio player to listen to the full conversation.