Apple was forced to apologise after its new iPad ad met with backlash from internet users.
Apple reportedly apologised and admitted it “missed the mark” with its latest iPad Pro advertisement.
The ad, featuring an industrial-sized hydraulic press crushing a collection of creative objects including musical instruments and books, was launched by Apple’s chief executive, Tim Cook, on Tuesday.
Reacting to the ad, actor Hugh Grant wrote on X that the advert represented “the destruction of the human experience, courtesy of Silicon Valley”.
According to The Guardian, Justine Bateman, a US film-maker who has criticised the impact of artificial intelligence on her industry, wrote on X: “Why did Apple do an ad that crushes the arts? Tech and AI means to destroy the arts and society in general.”
In a statement to AdAge, Apple’s vice president of marketing communications, Tor Myhren, apologized.
“Creativity is in our DNA at Apple, and it’s incredibly important to us to design products that empower creatives all over the world. Our goal is to always celebrate the myriad of ways users express themselves and bring their ideas to life through iPad,” Myhren said. “We missed the mark with this video, and we’re sorry.”