Apple Slammed For ‘Dystopian’ Ad Seemingly Foreshadowing Tech Mincing Creativity
Video screenshot via Apple
Apple’s latest iPad Pro campaign, aptly named Crush, has certainly lived up to its name, but perhaps not in the way the tech giant had hoped. Crafted in-house, the controversial advertisement features a hydraulic press compressing various artistic tools—from paintbrushes and musical instruments to film reels and cameras—into the company’s “thinnest product yet.”
While the visual was meant to symbolize the device’s capacity to unify diverse creative workflows into one streamlined gadget, it instead sparked a wave of backlash from the creative community and beyond.
The criticism was swift and sharp, with figures like Hugh Grant and Justine Bateman leading the charge. They, along with many others, interpreted the ad as suggesting that technology could be a destructive force, homogenizing and diminishing the value of traditional artistic expression—especially in the age of artificial intelligence. The imagery of cherished creative tools being crushed into a piece of technology struck a nerve, with many seeing it as disrespectful to the rich legacy of these art forms.
The destruction of the human experience. Courtesy of Silicon Valley. https://t.co/273XB3CfnF
— Hugh Grant (@HackedOffHugh) May 8, 2024
.@tim_cook, someone corrected your “ad.” https://t.co/x7fWo1pwko
— Justine Bateman (@JustineBateman) May 8, 2024
In an email sent to DesignTAXI earlier, Apple’s creative team explained that the crushing sequence was a metaphor highlighting the iPad Pro’s ability to make creative processes more efficient. The company emphasized that the objects weren’t being destroyed but were instead being transformed into a new, powerful form—the iPad Pro itself.
Set to the tune of Sonny & Cher’s All I Ever Need is You, the commercial culminates in showcasing the iPad Pro as Apple’s slimmest product packed with professional features and capabilities. To visually represent this, Apple chose to crush objects in an industrial-sized crusher, with each object selected not only for its visual appeal when compressed but also to narrate the versatility of the iPad Pro.
The film features apps like Logic Pro and Final Cut Pro, alongside musical instruments and editing tools, while cans of paint and art supplies represented creative apps like Procreate and Adobe Fresco. Even rubber emojis were included to add a touch of fun, underscoring the playful possibilities of the iPad.
The response reflects the delicate balance between embracing digital advancements and preserving the essence of artistic expression. While technology can offer unparalleled convenience and new ways to create, there’s an ongoing debate about how such tools might impact the soul and authenticity of creative endeavors.
[via The Blaze, TechCrunch, NBC News, The Independent, video and cover screenshot via Apple]
