Update: 05/10: The company has since apologized, and Apple VP of Marketing Tor Myhren told Ad Age they "missed the mark."
TV commercials often cause an uproar of backlash when things take a truly shocking, offensive or tone deaf turn. The Pepsi ad from a few years ago got people (rightfully) riled up, and today's talk of the town is the new iPad commercial, in which the company's thinnest product yet is seen being made after literally putting an entire scene through a hydraulic press.
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
It's quite the heavy-handed metaphor for the "all-in-one" capabilities this device offers, but people thought it was too clumsy a portrayal. A lot of people online thought this was a bad omen while others felt it was a slap in the face to loyal Apple fans and anyone who cared deeply about the creative process.
While the iPad will never truly replace musical instruments, a pen and paper, or oil paints on canvas, a lot of folks felt the commercial signified Apple's intent to (literally) flatten the creative process. Corporate marketing is intended to get you talking about the product, remember the ad and spread the word; and that's what happened.
Jesus christ. I just saw that new Apple iPad commercial, and what an absolutely tone-deaf and insulting ad. The visual messaging is terrible
— Danny (@ziioijo) May 8, 2024
Like who thought literally CRUSHING THE ARTS AND THEIR TOOLS was the move to make to market this towards creatives? lol
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 J. Miraflor (@michaelmiraflor) May 8, 2024
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?
This iPad ad is just so wildly narcissistic and tone deaf. Celebrating creativity by literally destroying every symbolic creative tool
— Benj Edwards (@benjedwards) May 8, 2024
“You won’t need these anymore, you only need me.”
Seems like a good metaphor for the state of the tech industry these days https://t.co/UKOlvezgeC
the ps3 baby would have never crushed all this stuff https://t.co/n5nlZhGtwf
— 〽️ax krieger is building meter (@MaxKriegerVG) May 8, 2024
A lot of people are roasting on this for how it ominously shows the destruction of various creative tools but I think a big reason why this fails is that if you’re advertising your thinnest iPad ever, the last thing you want is to remind people how easy it is to break things https://t.co/MgYpSX9Kbe
— Lady Emily (@GreatCheshire) May 8, 2024
hope everyone is enjoying the new ipad ad https://t.co/5JmXK7vAkC
— flglmn (@flglmn) May 8, 2024
I showed Google Gemini 1.5 the first part of Apple's "hydraulic press" ad for iPad. I think it kind of nailed it: "The ad could be seen as sending a mixed message or even a negative one, suggesting that the new iPad might lead to the destruction of other valuable things." pic.twitter.com/HoRL44GzMS
— Ethan Mollick (@emollick) May 8, 2024
genius, someone fixed the iPad ad (using iMovie)
— Linus ●ᴗ● Ekenstam (@LinusEkenstam) May 8, 2024
pic.twitter.com/e6XFrho5kK
It’s like a nightmare. I imagine being chained to a chair and being forced to watch something like this happen. It made me legit sad.
— Michael J. Miraflor (@michaelmiraflor) May 8, 2024
Dumb Animator Take :
— Joey Capps (@joeCARTOONguy) May 8, 2024
Don’t crush an animation desk to sell me an iPad (that’ll ironically be recycled in 2 years). I could argue out of everything seen here, the least valuable things are the MacBook & the iPhone I took the photo with. Can’t they all work together? https://t.co/ZRXJQLzE5z pic.twitter.com/eMmdkRbRHG
