Apple’s New Ad Sparks Controversy and Criticism
The commercial titled “Crush!” that accompanied the presentation of the new iPad Pro was disliked by many
On Tuesday, May 7, Apple CEO Tim Cook unveiled a new version of his famous iPad Pro tablet, much thinner and much more powerful. The thickness of the new iPad is really impressive: only 5.1 millimeters.
The launch of the new electronic jewel was accompanied by a commercial that caused a heated debate among public opinion around the world. Some have called the video “disturbing” and even “offensive.”
The commercial shows a giant press that destroys art, musical instruments, paint cans, books, TVs, electronic games, and many other “cultural products” being compressed to finally become the new iPad Pro.
As Apple explained in a press release, the idea behind the ad was to “convey the concept of the compactness” of the new tablet and at the same time the many things you can do with it, from composing music to drawing and reading books. The explanation didn’t stop the critics: the fact that the destructive impact of the press in unstoppable motion is shown in great detail in the video conveyed a different concept to many: the destruction of objects somehow connected to human culture.
Many big names have taken part in the controversy on social media. British actor Hugh Grant called the video “the destruction of the human experience.” There are those who write that after watching the commercials, Apple, one of the richest and most powerful companies in the world, is perceived as the real cause of the devastation the world is experiencing between wars and natural disasters.
And there were immediate concerns about the advancement of artificial intelligence, with some noting that “the message of the commercial was perceived differently, perhaps because of the times we live in, with much of the arts community at least concerned about the progress some artificial intelligence systems have made in creating new content, from images to text and video.”