Apple CEO Tim Cook was lambasted for green-lighting an ad for the company’s revamped iPad that showed instruments such as a piano, guitar and trumpet crushed by a giant hydraulic press.
The 60-second spot, titled “Crush!,” also included items such as an arcade game, turntable and even a sculpted bust getting slowly compacted — all set to Sonny & Cher’s “All I Ever Need Is You” — to tout the slimness of its upgraded iPad Pro.
“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,” Cook tweeted alongside the video.
Social media users, however, turned apoplectic, calling the ad “tone-deaf” for its lack of respect for the creative process and arguing it was another sign of Big Tech’s desire to take over society.
“The destruction of the human experience. Courtesy of Silicon Valley,” actor Hugh Grant wrote on X about the commercial.
Another user slammed Cook for sullying the legacy of Apple founder Steve Jobs, who famously approved the company’s groundbreaking “1984” commercial, which aired during that year’s Super Bowl.
“Steve Jobs would have never approved this ad,” wrote Ian Harber.
The iPad Pro features an M4 chip, which was designed to power artificial intelligence — a technology that has sparked intense scrutiny from critics who fear it will hamper or even plagiarize human creativity.
“Crushing a piano, trumpet & guitar evokes the same primal horrific sacrilege as watching books burn,” said songwriter Crispin Hunt. “Surprisingly tone-deaf from Apple, who’ve previously enabled & championed creativity. But I imagine they’ll see how out of tune this is once they turn off the autotune.”
“Truly, what is wrong with you,” added actress Justine Bateman.
X user @usaotoday had the top comment on Cook’s post, writing that the video “lacks any response for creative equipment and mocks the creators.”
The comment had generated more than 21,000 likes as of Thursday morning.
Another mocking post by Epic Games programmer Kiaran Ritchie said “the symbolism of indiscriminately crushing beautiful creative tools is an interesting choice.”
“Who needs human life and everything that makes it worth living? Dive into this digital simulacrum and give us your soul. Sincerely, Apple,” added “Men in Black” screenwriter Ed Solomon.
The Post has reached out to Apple for comment on the criticism.
The video surfaced as Apple attempts to drum up excitement about its iPad lineup, which is in the midst of a lengthy sales slump.
In the second quarter, revenue for the iPad segment of Apple’s business fell 17% to $5.6 billion, which missed analysts’ estimate of $5.91 billion.
The 11-inch version of the device starts at $999, while a larger 13-inch version starts at $1,299. Both are about $200 more expensive than the previous model.
Apple also unveiled an updated version of its less-powerful iPad Air, which starts at $599.
