William Gallagher
The minute-long Apple ad showing art equipment and materials being crushed down into the new iPad Pro is being called heartbreaking, wanton, and creepy.
Apple first aired its "Crush" ad during the "Let Loose" event that saw the launch of the new iPad Air and iPad Pro models. It shows paints, guitars, toys, sculptures, and more, all being crushed down by an enormous weight, which then rises up again to reveal the iPad Pro.
Since that debut during the event, Apple's Tim Cook tweeted a link to it — and started a backlash. At time of writing, there are over 2,500 comments to his tweet and while many are about iPad details, most are expressing abhorrence at the ad.
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
"It is a heartbreaking, uncomfortable, and egotistic advertisement," responded Twitter user Hiroki Akiyama. "When I see this result, I'm ashamed to buy Apple products since nineteen years."
"This destruction is extremely distasteful," wrote another user. Others say the ad "lacks any respect for creative equipment and mocks the creators."
"Genuinely apple's creepiest ad since the Mother Earth DEl debacle," continue the comments. "Oh my, that's a scary advertisement."
It's likely that at least some of the ad was created with CGI. This is proven by moments like the toy's face somehow specifically being face-out and caught by the camera with the precision that it was. Hydraulic presses are crazily expensive, and there would be a wide field of debris and stains on the press if it were real, as well.
It doesn't appear that the high likelihood that the video is CGI alters the reactions. "Even if this Movie is CG," writes one commentator, "it pains me to see this kind of Creative-destroying representation."
Tim Cook also posted the video on Chinese social media site Weibo, where at time of writing it's had around 250 comments — and hardly any criticism. "This advertising idea is so amazing," says one user (in translation.)
Apple has also posted the complete ad on YouTube. However, as with all videos on the official Apple channel, comments are turned off.
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96 Comments
It’s a conceptual message, not an attack on anyone’s creative process or disrespect for legacy creative tools or equipment. The obvious implication is that the iPad Pro incorporates all that historic goodness. I guess we’ll be seeing plenty of revenge “Will It Blend?” YouTube videos featuring the new iPad Pro. Or maybe people could just lighten up.
Silly reactions like that only make me think creatives are a bunch of crybaby wimps. Chin up and be a man! It's an ad made for shock value. If anything, it worked by waking sleeping people up and capturing their attention. Capturing attention is the aim of any great ad. It clearly succeeded. But had it been something more soothing to fondle the delicate sensibilities of those ever complaining creatives, it probably would have only worked to put them all to sleep. And people would have then complained that Apple isn't exciting enough. In the end, the moral is clear. PEOPLE NEED TO ZIP THE LIP AND STOP COMPLAINING! That alone would make this world a vastly better place.
What was missing was at the end - all the crushed elements should have been represented on the final shot of the iPad screen, upbeat and animated... thought this the second I saw the ad. I would have made the ad much more about evolution, not scorched earth...
I agree, the reactions are a bit over-the-top.
At the same time, it's a horrible, bordering on disconcerting and unpleasant, iPad promotional ad IMHO. I believe Apple will be pulling it from their official ad campaign in short order. It doesn't help make the product appealing or engaging.
Silliness. The ultimate consumers being irate over the ultimate consumer company displaying the ultimate end of consumerism. LOL. People get offended over the most stupid things these days.