In a rare move, Apple has issued an apology after its ad for the newly-launched iPad Pro ran into controversy. Following the backlash online, Apple admitted that it missed the mark and said the company wouldn't air the ad, which showed an industrial press crushing objects linked to human creativity, on television as planned.
¡°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,¡± Apple marketing VP Tor Myhren told Ad Age in a statement.
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The one-minute-long ad showed symbols of human creativity, like musical instruments, paint cans, an ¡¯80s arcade video game?and?a bust of a human head crushed by a giant hydraulic press.
Then the crusher reveals the newly unveiled iPad,?symbolising?how much the new thinner model encompasses.
"Meet the new iPad Pro: the thinnest product we¡¯ve ever created," Apple CEO Tim?Cook,?wrote on Twitter while sharing the video.
But it did not go down well with most social media users.?
The ad that many saw as a depiction of how technology was destroying human creativity also came at a time when there are growing fears about an AI takeover of all kinds of jobs, including many that have been the domain of artists.? ??
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"I¡¯m not sure ¡®wanton destruction of all the good and beautiful things?is?this world¡¯ was?really?the vibe you were trying for," said one person.
"Maybe for the next Apple Watch?Pro?you should crush sports?equipment,?show?a robot running faster than a man," added another.
"It is a heartbreaking, uncomfortable, and egotistic advertisement. When I see this result, I'm ashamed to buy Apple products?since?nineteen years," commented another.
It was not just Apple enthusiasts who found the ad problematic. Many big names in Hollywood, including actor Hugh Grant, screenwriter Ed Solomon,?director Reed Morano and many more had?criticised?the ad.
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