During Apple’s Let Loose event, the company unveiled the new M4 iPad Pro and the M2 iPad Air. With the introduction of the Pro tablet, Cupertino rolled out one of its known fun ads called Crush. However, people are not fond of this advertisement this time, as it’s been referred to online as “tone deaf” and “offensive.”
The minute-long ad shows toys, musical instruments, sculptures, and more being crushed by enormous weight. This kind of hydraulic crush video is very popular on TikTok. In this case, Apple probably just wanted to show that you can combine several iconic products and symbols into a single piece of metal and glass: The new M4 iPad Pro with an outstanding OLED display.
However, consumers do not see this iPad Pro ad that way. For example, in Tim Cook’s X post, people are furious at Apple for this 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
“I can’t believe this is real? Incredibly tone deaf,” said X user Michael J. Miraflor. Another user, Damon Peters, went further and explained why many people hated this ad: “(…) I was offended because it’s a direct shot at GenX and some Millennial culture and values. The offense is from caring deeply about the collective human experience as progressive, not replacement. Why destroy what we love to progress? Seems mean for the sake of being mean.”
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Should we take this iPad Pro ad too seriously?
At first, I didn’t think this ad could be an issue. After all, it’s just Apple telling a story about how users don’t need several objects, as only one can replace most. For example, why would you need a piano if you have GarageBand? Or why would you need several paint buckets if you can use an app with all the colors you need to create something?
After all, the story is that the company has built a crazy-thin and powerful iPad Pro. At the end of the day, it’s all people would need. In addition, this is likely all CGI, especially when an emoji-like toy is pressed alone with its eyes facing us.
But since so many people have complained about it, this ad might not be that innocent. And people are right about thinking crushing real-world symbols in favor of a digital world is a bad, soulless idea. At the end of the day, Apple is just another company trying to sell a product to consumers. However, if you think about the company’s long history, I wouldn’t say it wants to erase the real world, but maybe the ad could have been made differently.
Below, you can watch the iPad Pro ad and decide if Apple went too far or was just a misinterpretation.
