Hollywood names have criticized Apple’s new iPad Pro ad, as it depicts the crushing of musical instruments, paints, camera lenses, books, movie characters, sculptures, and more.
Actor Hugh Grant was one of those speaking up against the ad, tweeting that what it showed was “the destruction of the human experience, courtesy of Silicon Valley” …
The dramatic ad, first seen during the Let Loose event, is obviously intended to show that all these various kinds of creative work can be squeezed into an iPad – that the new ultra-thin device is capable of being used by writers, filmmakers, musicians, photographers, and others.
But Variety reports that some are arguing that it rather literally depicts what the tech industry does to creatives.
Producer, director and writer Asif Kapadia wrote, “Like iPads but don’t know why anyone thought this ad was a good idea. It is the most honest metaphor for what tech companies do to the arts, to artists musicians, creators, writers, filmmakers: squeeze them, use them, not pay well, take everything then say it’s all created by them.”
Filmmaker and author Justine Bateman was more succinct.
Actor Luke Barnett didn’t pull any punches.
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.
Top comment by Graham Jones
It sent out mixed messaging and I’m not surprised that people had an issue with it. They were obviously trying to convey how all of that culture can be found in an iPad, but it also came off as signalling the destruction of culture to some. The video in reverse by Reza Sixo Safai to the soundtrack of I Got You Babe is a touch of genus, and it’s such a simple thing that Apple could’ve done later in the event as way to show that all that culture can come out of an iPad. Surely someone must’ve seen how it could be read, and said something? It’s a lesson for Apple to look longer at what message they’re sending out. I know what the crushing referred to, but not everyone will. This is where the confusion lies, because there was no explanation.
Halide co-founder Sebastiaan de With also noted that the ad isn’t going down well in Japan.
I found it interesting to read the Japanese backlash responses to this, some particularly disturbed because of a belief in “Tsukumogami” — the idea that creative tools can possess a spirit of their own (a beautiful notion), so destroying them is truly evil … not a great look
But the best response was from filmmaker Reza Sixo Safai, who ran the ad in reverse.
I have to say, I think he has a point – that it would have been better to start with this ‘impossibly thin’ device, and then show all these amazing things emerging from it.
What’s your view? Was Apple’s new iPad Pro ad a hit or a miss? Does reversing it actually better sell the device? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
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