iPad Pro Advertisement: Crush! on Apple's lack of insight.

Apple released a video called 'Crush!' promoting the new M4 iPad Pro, which was unveiled last Tuesday. A variety of objects are placed in the dark, huge space, including a piano, record player, sculpture, paint, and television. A huge iron plate hovers uneasily above the objects. A hydraulic press slowly lowers the song 'All I ever need is you' by Sonny & Cher on the record player. The trumpet gets crushed and the paint can explodes, splattering everywhere. Objects symbolizing various human creations break, are crushed, and explode. The hydraulic press has been completely lowered to the point where there is no visible gap, and what remains is the new iPad Pro.

It is a metaphor that a variety of creative activities can be performed with just the iPad Pro. But the reaction was cold. There was strong protest from various creative groups and media, and Hugh Grant responded by calling the ad “a destruction of the human experience.” Ultimately, Apple's Vice President of Marketing Tor Myhren said, “Our goal is to celebrate the many ways users bring themselves and their ideas to life on iPad. I missed the mark in this video. “I’m sorry,” he apologized and canceled the TV commercial.

Apple was too oblivious this time. With the recent development of AI, the fear of ‘unemployment’ has become higher than ever. In this situation, the video of technology destroying an object that symbolizes human creation and only the iPad Pro remaining feels direct rather than metaphorical. It reads as if Apple intends to destroy and conquer humans with technology.

The same expression is received differently depending on the context. This is a method often used to express performing multiple functions with one device. There is also a similar video made by LG 15 years ago. But then and now are different. Instead of condensing creative activity, what it destroys has become more prominent. Rather, I think the 'Desk Evolution' video from 9 years ago is closer to the intention.