NEW YORK (AP) — A newly released ad promoting Apple's new iPad Pro has caused quite a stir online.
The ad, released by the tech giant on Tuesday, features nearly every creative instrument artists and consumers have used over the years, from pianos and record players to paint stacks, books, cameras and arcade relics. It shows how it is crushed using a hydraulic press. game. The result of destruction? A brand new iPad Pro.
At the end of the commercial, a narrator says, “The most powerful iPad ever is also the thinnest.”
Apple's intent is simple. Let's take a look at everything you can do with this new product. But critics have called it tone-deaf, and several marketing experts say the campaign misses the mark.
“I had a very unpleasant reaction to this ad,” said Amecas Reed II, a marketing professor at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. “I understood conceptually what they were trying to do, but I think it's about technology disrupting that nostalgic kind of joyous life[of the past].”
The ad also comes at a time when many people are feeling anxious and fearful about their jobs and daily lives being “replaced” by technological advances, especially amidst the rapid commercialization of generative artificial intelligence. Appeared. And watching beloved items destroyed and faded into oblivion doesn't quell those fears, Reid and others say.
Several celebrities were among those criticizing Apple's Crush! We released a commercial on social media this week.
“The destruction of the human experience. Courtesy of Silicon Valley,” says actor Hugh Grant. wrote on social media platforma repost of an article by Apple CEO Tim Cook. Ad sharing.
Some saw the ad as a metaphor for concerns about today's industry, especially the negative impact big technology has on creatives.Film director Justin Bateman I wrote to X Commercials “destroy art.”
Experts added that the commercial marks a marked departure from past Apple marketing, which often took a more positive and uplifting approach.
“My first thought was that Apple had become exactly what it didn't want to be,” said Van Graves, executive director of the Virginia Commonwealth University Brand Center.
Graves pointed to Apple's famous 1984 ad introducing the Macintosh computer, which he said focused on increasing creativity and thinking outside the box as unique individuals. In contrast, Graves said, “This[new iPad]commercial is going to say, 'No, we're going to take all the creativity in the world and use a hydraulic press to push it into one device that everyone will use.' There is,” he added.
Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press on Thursday.
The Cupertino, California-based company announced the latest generation iPad Pro and Air at a showcase earlier this week, touting new features in both lines. The Pro features a new thinner design, a new M4 processor for added processing power, slightly upgraded storage, and incorporates dual OLED panels for a brighter, clearer display.
Apple is trying to stimulate demand for the iPad after tablet sales fell 17% in the first quarter from a year ago. The iPad didn't contribute much to Apple's success after its 2010 debut helped redefine the tablet market. Currently, it accounts for only 6% of the company's sales.
