Apple has published an apology over its recent "Crush!" commercial, which was originally shown on Tuesday to advertise the latest M4-based iPad Pro, stating that the commercial "missed the mark." Shortly after the event the video was also published on Apple"s YouTube channel and Tim Cook"s X (formerly Twitter) account.
The original commercial, viewable above on YouTube, shows a range of creative tools and other objects from including a piano, cameras and paint, being destroyed and flattened by an industrial-sized hydraulic press. After the press rises again, all that is left is the new iPad Pro.
The intent of the advert was to show how much creative power was included within the new iPad Pro, alongside the fact that the 13-inch model is Apple"s thinnest product at 5.1 mm. However, criticism against the commercial said that it was destroying the human side of creativity, replacing it with technology, something that the industry is already worried about with AI.
The destruction of the human experience. Courtesy of Silicon Valley. https://t.co/273XB3CfnF
— Hugh Grant (@HackedOffHugh) May 8, 2024
In a statement to Ad Age, Tor Myhren, Apple"s VP of marketing communications, apologised and made it clear that it hadn"t meant to cause offense along with the following quote:
“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. We missed the mark with this video, and we’re sorry.”
These newest iPad Pro"s represent a significant upgrade over the previous generation, including Tandem OLED displays, M4 processors, a thinner aluminium chassis at 5.3mm for the 11-inch, and 5.1mm for the 13-inch. Both models and the latest Apple Pencil and Magic Keyboard are available to pre-order with shipments beginning next week.