Apple Apologizes For Embarrassing iPad Ad

By Andrew Sanford | Social Media | May 10, 2024 |

By Andrew Sanford | Social Media | May 10, 2024 |

A.I. is being heralded as a leg up for people who don’t feel like practicing. Don’t want to put in the effort required to become proficient at a specific art form? Don’t worry! You can type in a general prompt and a computer can do it for you. It might even be “good!” Why bother going through the hours of hard work and self-discovery through art?! That’s what Apple pushed in the ad for their new iPad.

First posted to social media, Apple’s ad features a giant press. On that press are numerous creative outlets. Paints, instruments, and an arcade machine are among the items on the block. Then, slowly but surely, all of these wonderful things are annihilated. The press smashes them into so much color and broken parts, all to reveal a shiny new iPad.

Calling the ad tone-deaf would be a massive understatement. “Universally hated” would be a more accurate descriptor. Aside from maybe a few Blue Check losers, no one had anything nice to say about this ad depicting the human experience’s destruction. It is bleak. While creatives worldwide fight against AI for countless reasons, here’s Apple openly touting its ability to crush everything in its path.

Surprisingly, Apple responded to all of the negative feedback. “Our goal is to always celebrate the myriad of ways users express themselves and bring their ideas to life through iPad,” Vice President of Marketing Tor Myhren said to Ad Age. “We missed the mark with this video, and we’re sorry.” There you go! It’s all okay. Apple apologized and won’t run the ad on TV. Problem solved; Almost.

First off, the ad is still up on Twitter. You can apologize for something all you want, but that rings hollow if you’re still doing the thing you apologized for. Second, this is only the beginning. Apple won’t stop pushing this creative shortcut regarding their overpriced gadgets. They’ll more likely find new ways to push it without raising any alarms. Silicon Valley is firmly in bed with AI, so Apple can stuff its sorries in a sack.