Apple apologizes for the controversial announcement of its new iPad and will not broadcast it on television | Technology

Someone at Apple thought it was a good idea, to celebrate creativity, to have an ad showing a huge hydraulic dam crushing a record player, a trumpet, a piano, a guitar, a drum set, a metronome, books, cameras, a typewriter, video games, paintings, some sculpture… In the end, after the video (titled Crush, Crush) launch of the new iPad as a symbol of technology that destroys human creativity, the company has ended up recognizing that it has missed the mark, has apologized and has assured that it will not broadcast it on television.

In the ad, after the hydraulic dam crushes all those instruments and tools for leisure and creativity, an iPad Pro appears, as if the tablet could replace a piano or a guitar. The publication of the video on social networks had provoked complaints from authors and creatives. Apple’s own advisor, Tim Cook, tweeted the announcement and what followed was an endless cascade of criticism and indignant messages. There has also been some constructive message, such as the one I suggested turning the video around and that all those beloved objects emerged from the iPad.

“The destruction of the human experience. Courtesy of Silicon Valley”, tweeted actor Hugh Grant. “I am definitely the target audience for the new iPad Pro, but this ad is insensitive and insulting to artists of all kinds,” tweeted cartoonist James Kochalka. “We regard our tools with reverence and respect, and enjoy a healthy dialogue with them. Our tools are like trusted companions on the journey of art,” he added.

Many have compared the message to the of the legendary advertisement 1984 which served the company for the launch of the Macintosh, in which Apple offered itself as the liberator of a technology aimed at enslaving human beings. The publication of Crush It also occurs at a time when there is a certain awareness of the power of artificial intelligence to replace humans in tasks of all kinds, including creative ones.

Apple’s apologies have come through a statement to the specialized publication Ad Age, which echoed the complaints of creatives. “Creativity is in our DNA at Apple, and it’s incredibly important to us to design products that empower creatives around the world,” said Tor Myhren, Apple’s vice president of marketing. to Ad Age in the statement. “Our goal is to always celebrate the countless ways in which users express themselves and bring their ideas to life through iPad. “We missed the mark with this video, and we are sorry.” Apple has decided not to broadcast the ad on television, although for now Tim Cook has not deleted it on his social networks.

Apple this week presented the most complete renewal of its range of tablets since 2018. The company surprised by debuting its own new generation processor, the M4, in the new iPad Pro, which is not yet included in any of its computers. In addition to a complete redesign of the top-of-the-range iPads, the technology giant has updated its Air model, providing it for the first time with a 13-inch version, which until now was an exclusive size for the Pro models of Apple tablets .

In the message in which Tim Cook tweeted his controversial announcement, he said: “Introducing the new iPad Pro: the thinnest product we have ever created, the most advanced screen we have ever made, with the incredible power of the M4 chip. Just imagine everything that can be created with it.”

With the launch of new models, iPad is trying to revive the dwindling sales of the iPad. In the first quarter, they fell 16.7%, to $5,559 million, and represented only 6.1% of the company’s turnover.

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