Apple's new iPad advert featuring musical instruments being crushed is SLAMMED ... trends now
As one of the world's most profitable companies, there's no doubt Apple has a lot of money to spend on adverts.
And nowhere is this more apparent than in its latest advert, plugging the new £1,299 iPad Pro.
The one-minute clip shows a collection of artistic objects – including paints, books and musical instruments – being crushed by an industrial press.
But the 'tasteless' and 'insulting' ad has been widely slammed online, including by English actor Hugh Grant.
The Love Actually star posted on X (formerly Twitter): 'The destruction of the human experience. Courtesy of Silicon Valley.'
On X, English actor Hugh Grant posted: 'The destruction of the human experience. Courtesy of Silicon Valley'
Someone replied to Grant adding 'And the destruction of childhood', to which the actor replied, 'Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. I could go on'
Read More
'Who is still buying iPads?' Gadget fans question why Apple is still churning out new tablets - despite the devices only making up 6% of sales
Someone replied to Grant, adding 'And the destruction of childhood', to which the actor replied, 'Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. I could go on.'
In the ad – which was originally posted to X by Apple CEO Tim Cook – the artistic objects are slowly turned to bits by the metal press as 'All I Ever Need is You' by Sonny and Cher plays.
When the press lifts up again, the pulverized remains have vanished and the new iPad Pro appears instead.
It seems the collection of objects is supposed to represent everything that the new iPad is capable of – from sketching art to playing music and displaying documents.
It's also meant to highlight the tablet as the thinnest product Apple has ever made – although, ironically, at 5.1mm (0.2 inch), it would be destroyed by the industrial press too.
Unfortunately, artists are considering the suggestion that an Apple product could replace all of their tools as 'insulting'.
Objects being crushed include a guitar, piano, trumpet, books, metronome, sculpted clay, vinyl player and a TV
It's unclear how much Apple spent on the advert; MailOnline has contacted the tech giant for more information
Unfortunately, artists are considering the suggestion that an Apple product could replace all of their tools as 'insulting'
One furious X user called it 'an absolutely tone-deaf and insulting ad'.
He said: 'The visual messaging is terrible Like who thought literally CRUSHING THE ARTS AND THEIR TOOLS was the move to make to market this towards creatives?'
Another X user posted: 'With all the Apple tech knowhow, if you really insisted on producing such a tasteless advert, you could have used cgi [computer generated imagery].
'The fact that you chose to destroy things that could have been used by properly talented people speaks volumes about you, your company, and the state of things.'
Another posted: 'Ah, Apple providing the perfect metaphor for what’s happening to the creative arts & humanities, and then mistakenly thinking it’s a good look for an advert.'
In the ad, the objects are slowly turned to bits by the metal press as 'All I Ever Need is You' by Sonny and Cher plays
It's likely the controversy generated by the advert would simply help Apple sell its products
Someone else called it 'the perfect metaphor' for the creative industries being decimated by wealthy companies
Another X user posted: 'With all the Apple tech knowhow, if you really insisted on producing such a tasteless advert, you could have used cgi [computer generated imagery]'
Someone else reversed the advert, showing the iPad being crushed and the objects appearing in its place, saying they'd 'fixed it'.
Other users figured that the controversy generated by the advert would simply help Apple sell its products.
Forty years ago, Apple was responsible for what's been described as one of the greatest commercials, called '1984', directed by Ridley Scott.
The ad – plugging the original Apple Macintosh computer – portrays a dystopian setting influenced by George Orwell's famous book where humanity is saved from 'conformity'.
Christopher Slevin, creative director for marketing agency Inkling Culture, said the message of the new ad is effectively the opposite.
'Apple’s new iPad spot is essentially them turning into the thing they said they were out to destroy in the