A new advert for Apple’s new iPad Pro has sparked controversy online.
The advert, unveiled by the tech giant, shows a hydraulic press crushing almost every creative instrument artists and consumers have used over the years, including a piano and record player, as well as piles of paint, books, cameras, and arcade games.
Apple’s purpose seems simple: look at what this new machine can do. However, some have called it tone-deaf, with several marketing professionals suggesting that the execution of the campaign fell flat.
The ad also comes at a time when many people are unsure or fearful of having their jobs or daily routines ‘replaced’ by technological breakthroughs, particularly with the increasing commercialization of generative artificial intelligence.
Seeing cherished possessions smashed to nothingness doesn’t help alleviate those fears, Reed and others said.
Some saw the ad as a revealing allegory for today’s economy, particularly concerns about the harmful effects …