Apple apologized Thursday for it’s viral “Crush” iPad Pro ad after it was ridiculed for being anti-art and representative of big tech’s “destruction of the human experience” (per Hugh Grant).
In a statement to TheWrap, VP of marketing Tor Myhren admitted the that tech giant “missed the mark.”
“Creativity is in our DNA at Apple, and it’s incredibly important to us to design products that empower creatives all over the world,” Myhren said. “Our goal is to always celebrate the myriad of ways users express themselves and bring their ideas to life through iPad. We missed the mark with this video, and we’re sorry.”
Apple confirmed the commercial spot will no longer run on TV.
The ad in question showcased a number of different forms of art tools – a piano, paints, movies, TV, video games and more – being crushed under a hydraulic press and compressed into the new iPad Pro. The ad rankled a number of Hollywood stars and filmmakers, who said that it was literally destructive to creativity and the arts, particularly in the age of rising AI.
“The destruction of the human experience. Courtesy of Silicon Valley,” Hugh Grant wrote on X.
“If you thought THIS iPad ad was weird, you should have seen the first cut where they lined up all your favorite characters and shot them,” actor, writer and producer Luke Barnett added.
“READ THE ROOM, BRO. CUZ THIS S–T IS ACTUALLY PSYCHOTIC,” “Handmaid’s Tale” director Reed Morano tweeted at Apple CEO Tim Cook.
Cook meanwhile also took to X on Wednesday to talk about the big reveal – in a slightly more positive tone.
“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.”
Apple’s statement was first reported by Ad Age.
Watch Apple’s “Crush” ad in the video below.