Apple debuted an ad for its new iPad Pro this week, seemingly meant to show the versatility and power of the product. It's getting backlash, however, from many in the creative community, who see it as an unfortunate metaphor for the crushing of human creativity.
After announcing new products at its Let Loose event earlier this week, Apple aired the ad in question for its new flagship tablet, the seventh-generation iPad Pro. The "Crush!" ad depicts a room with a hydraulic press that slowly descends and crushes various artistic and creative equipment, including an arcade cabinet, a guitar, several DSLR cameras, and a bunch of painting tools, to name a few. After the machine flattened all that equipment, it disappeared and instead revealed the new iPad Pro tablet.
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
The ad's seemingly meant to highlight the product's versatility across art, gaming, music, and more. Plus, using a hydraulic press leans into the oddly satisfying video compilations that have made the rounds on TikTok and YouTube, which show hydraulic presses crushing everything from flowers to mugs to containers of marmalade.
Many creative professionals, however, have interpreted it as a metaphor for using technology across various forms of creative-centric industries to replace jobs and displace human creators. Actor Hugh Grant called the ad the "destruction of the human experience" in a post on X/Twitter.
The destruction of the human experience. Courtesy of Silicon Valley. https://t.co/273XB3CfnF
— Hugh Grant (@HackedOffHugh) May 8, 2024
Actress and filmmaker Justine Bateman, meanwhile, wrote on X/Twitter that Apple's new ad "crushes the arts," arguing that it hurts creators instead of supporting them. Luke Cage creator Cheo Hodari Coker noted said the ad was "a problem": "Not in hip-hop 'bad meaning good' problem. But a problem problem."
Others have reflected that this contradicts Apple's previous stances and/or symbolic advertisement. Programmer Paul Graham replied to Cook's post, arguing that late Apple co-founder and former CEO Steve Jobs would have never shipped an ad like the Crush! one, claiming that "would have pained [Jobs] too much to watch." Others called it "antithetical" to Ridley Scott's famous "1984" Apple MacIntosh Super Bowl ad, which showed its protagonist attempting to free her people from a Orwellian dystopia.
The ad comes at a time of tension between creative professionals and the tech industry, specifically regarding the use of artificial intelligence. Last year, Hollywood writers and actors went on strike, with protections against AI technology being one of their major priorities.
The gaming industry, which has already seen an unprecedented number of layoffs in the first five months of 2024 alone, is also having issues with ethically implementing artificial intelligence. Additionally, several writers and musicians have pursued legal action against tech companies like OpenAI and Nvidia for using their creative work for AI training without their consent.
Taylor is a Reporter at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.
