Apple has issued a rare apology – admitting it “missed the point” with a new advert showing beloved cultural symbols like a guitar and piano slowly crushed to take the shape of an iPad Pro.
The mea culpa came after Apple was slammed for days on social media in response to the 60-second ad titled “Crush!” » Various tools for human creativity, including paints, a turntable and even a sculpted bust, were sprayed to the tune of Sonny & Cher’s “All I Ever Need Is You.”
“Creativity is in our DNA at Apple, and it’s incredibly important to us to build products that empower creatives around the world,” Tor Myhren, Apple’s vice president of marketing communications, said in a statement Thursday. at AdAge.
“Our goal is to always celebrate the myriad ways people express themselves and bring their ideas to life through iPad,” added Myhren. “We missed the point with this video and we are sorry.”
Apple said it no longer plans to air the 60-second ad on television due to the backlash – although it was still available on its official YouTube page as of Friday morning.
Apple shares were flat on Friday.
Critics were outraged by the ad, arguing that it was simply the latest sign that Apple and other big tech companies were seeking to replace traditional art and entertainment with their tech gadgets.
The ad surfaced as part of Apple’s overhaul of its iPad line, which has seen declining sales in recent years.
Actor Hugh Grant, one of the most prominent critics, described the video as “the destruction of the human experience.” Courtesy of Silicon Valley.
Renowned tech industry expert Shelly Palmer said the advert “turned my stomach.” Then it made me incredibly angry. Then I was just sad.
“To me, this is a horrible statement about how Apple thinks about the creative community,” Palmer said.
Other users said the ad was an affront to the legacy of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, with one jokingly saying he “would never have approved of this ad.”
“Crushing a piano, a trumpet and a guitar evokes the same horrible sacrilege as watching books burn” said songwriter Crispin Hunt. “Surprisingly tone deaf from Apple, which has already enabled and defended creativity. But I imagine they’ll see how out of tune it is once they turn the autotune off.
“Who needs human life and everything that makes it worth living? Immerse yourself in this digital simulacrum and give us your soul. Sincerely, Apple, ” » added “Men in Black” screenwriter Ed Solomon.
Most of the anger was directed at Apple CEO Tim Cook’s post on X, which included the ad. Cook’s post is still online and has been viewed more than 57 million times.
“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,” Cook writes. “Just imagine everything it will be used to create.”
The new iPad Pro costs $200 more than its previous version and features the M4 computing chip, designed to support artificial intelligence features.
The uproar poses a new headache for Apple, which has recently drawn the ire of regulators on several fronts over antitrust concerns.
Earlier this year, the Justice Department filed a landmark antitrust complaint, alleging that Apple took illegal actions to ensure market dominance for its iPhone.
News Source : nypost.com
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