Apple apologises for its controversial iPad Pro ad of creative tools being crushed

Apple acknowledged a misstep with its recent iPad Pro ad, following online criticism. The ad, shared by CEO Tim Cook on social media, portrays various creative tools being crushed. Viewers interpreted this as a negative portrayal of technology's impact on creativity.

Issuing a statement to AdAge, Apple’s vice president of marketing communications, Tor Myhren, apologised.

He said, “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.”

Myhren further said, “We missed the mark with this video, and we’re sorry.”

In the ad, a large hydraulic press crushes a variety of objects associated with creativity, including musical instruments, paint cans, a classic arcade game, and a sculpture. As the press lifts, Apple's new iPad Pro emerges in its place.

“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,” Cook wrote in a post on X accompanying the video.

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

Internet criticised the ad.

The users said the ad was in poor taste amid growing fears that AI could replace workers – even those in creative fields.

Actor Hugh Grant wrote on social media that Apple’s ad represented “the destruction of the human experience.”

One user wrote, "I can't relate to this video at all. It lacks any respect for creative equipment and mocks the creators."

Another one wrote," Crushing symbols of human creativity and cultural achievements to appeal to pro creators, nice. Maybe for the next Apple Watch Pro you should crush sports equipment, show a robot running faster than a man, then turn to the camera and say, "God is dead and we have killed him".

A third user wrote, "It is a heartbreaking, uncomfortable, and egotistic advertisement. When I see this result, I'm ashamed to buy Apple products since nineteen years."

Apple no longer plans to run the ad on TV, according to AdAge.

The mea culpa was rare for Apple, though the ad has not been deleted from Cook’s X account at the time of writing this report.

(With inputs from agencies)