Share on linkedin Still from Apple's "Crush" ad for the new iPads. Screenshot: Applethat shows a massive hydraulic press crushing the artifacts of human and digital culture — from beautiful musical instruments to arcade video games — has triggered an online outcry in the 24 hours since its release.Creative professionals and artists — one of Apple's key constituencies — already fear AI's impact on their jobs and our culture.
"I'm definitely the target audience for the new iPad Pro but this ad is tone-deaf and insulting to artists of every kind,"cartoonist James Kochalka. "We think of our tools with reverence and respect, and enjoy a healthy dialogue with them. Our tools are like trusted companions on the journey of art."
"I don't think I've ever seen a single commercial offend and turn off a core customer base as much as this iPad spot," Michael Miraflor on X. "Achieves the opposite of their legendary 1984 spot. It's not even that it's boring or banal. It makes me feel… bad? Bummed out?"The company has not addressed the criticism and did not respond to a request for comment.Apple hasn't been a feisty upstart for decades — it's now among the wealthiest and most powerful entities on the planet.
Missteps like this further drain the reservoir of goodwill the company once filled with its product innovations and usability.Share on linkedin