Hyderabad: A newly released advertisement promoting Apple's new iPad Pro has struck quite a nerve online. The ad, which was released by the tech giant, shows a hydraulic press crushing just about every creative instrument artists and consumers have used over the years — from a piano and record player, to piles of paint, books, cameras and relics of arcade games.
What Did Apple Wanted to Show Through the Ad?
The advertisement aims to showcase the capabilities of Apple’s latest tablet, including watching television shows, listening to music, and playing video games. It also highlights the new device’s slimness. Apple’s pitch for the new tablet seems clear. However, critics have called the ad “tone-deaf” — with many marketing experts noting that the campaign’s execution didn’t live up to expectations.
Why Did the Ad Faced Backlash?
Unfortunately, the advertisement also arrives at a time when many professionals, particularly in the creative industries, are nervous about AI tools performing their jobs. In this context, the ad seems to suggest that creativity is dead — killed by a machine. And that the future belongs to a single device that will produce whatever human artists are producing today, but without the same enthusiasm and passion that instruments like paintbrushes, drums, pens and cellos bring.
But in this case, Apple has also managed to damage its own reputation. Complainants say that the ad shows how tech is destroying creativity rather than promoting it. This criticism is fuelled by the fears that many in the creative industries have about AI replacing human jobs.
Generative Artificial Intelligence has raised the hackles of many working creatives, who view the technology as a way to reduce the cost of human labor and replace it with cheap, unprocessed AI output. The recent ad by Apple has added fuel to this issue.
Apple's Apology
In a statement shared with Ad Age on Thursday, Apple apologised for the ad. The outlet also reported that Apple no longer plans to run the spot on TV.
“Creativity is in our DNA at Apple, and it’s incredibly important to us to design products that empower creatives all over the world,” Tor Myhren, the company's vice president of marketing communications, told Ad Age. “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.”
X(Formerly Twitter) Reactions
“Forty years ago, Apple released the 1984 commercial as a bold statement against a dystopian future. Now, you are that dystopian future. Congratulations,” an X user commented on the ad.
“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" 1Tim 6:10," Bateman wrote on X.
“You destroyed all the creative tools and effort of humans. Worst. Commercial. Ever,” said another.
Apple's New iPad Pro
Cupertino, California-based Apple unveiled its latest generation of iPad Pros and Airs earlier this week in a showcase that lauded new features for both lines. 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.
