Oct 25, 2017
10,165
Sweden
6 pages to read with numerous posts outlining why the ad was problematic and how it could be interpreted in a gross way, but I guess it's easier to drive by and paint folks expressing concern as being "lighting my New Balance shoes on fire #maga" types.

No, but I do wonder if the same type of people get pissy when non-gamers respond with "Oh, video games? Isn't that only for children?" when they know the intention wasn't to hurt.
 

-JD-

Avenger
Oct 27, 2017
3,508
I can't believe some of ya'll got roped into arguing with the "but it's CGI" guy.
 

scottbeowulf

Member
Oct 27, 2017
9,584
United States
Ahahaha you know the really frustrating thing with people who are either intentionally or plain obtuse when it comes to interpreting media is that they always give the impression that they think they're smarter than the people critising it.

"These stupids don't understand simple creative intent! Clearly it's showing that the iPad is a "do everything" distilling all these creative endeavours into one device!"

Sometimes it's worth sitting down and thinking maybe you're not the authority on interpreting media and other people have different values and perspectives to you.

Perhaps start with seeing how crushing those creative tools is a destructive act, and would any artist do the same and then buy an iPad.
Yup. It's rarely "I don't have an issue with this, what am I missing?" it's usually "I don't have an issues with this, what are YOU missing?"
It's pretty infuriating.
 

Darknight

"I'd buy that for a dollar!"
Member
Oct 25, 2017
23,075
I saw someone write that it doesn't matter if it was CGI at all? If it was generated by animated means then no machines, instruments, electronics or toys would have been destroyed. Destruction can be a tool for art as well and one needs to go no further then Japan's early noise music scene to see how these aims were achieved. See the band Hijokaidan for example.

You're missing the point. It's the symbolism that the image can be interpreted as not whether they destroyed real instruments or not. That's why it doesn't matter if it was CGI or physical; it's what's being conveyed that is the issue.
 

Tbm24

Member
Oct 25, 2017
16,957
I saw someone write that it doesn't matter if it was CGI at all? If it was generated by animated means then no machines, instruments, electronics or toys would have been destroyed. Destruction can be a tool for art as well and one needs to go no further then Japan's early noise music scene to see how these aims were achieved. See the band Hijokaidan for example.

Y'all aren't being serious.
 

Davidion

Charitable King
Member
Oct 27, 2017
6,287
I'm not really disagreeing with the point being made, I agree someone's reaction doesn't hinge on whether the objects are real or CG. I just don't think that analogy was super appropriate relative to this situation

I didn't think you were. But the point is, while the topic of AI/artist and creativity replacement is new compared to the historically, societally broad point of contention of race and racial insults, these ARE still both metaphors signifying a perspective what one broad swath of the population considers to be deeply insulting to a substantial part of their humanity, albeit to various degrees of intensity and consequence.
 

MegaZubat

Member
Oct 25, 2017
130
I ended up loving it but I was so pissed I had to take two (four?) cultural art history/literacy classes in college now I'm sitting here wishing it was required for everyone. Because wow at the lack of care/understanding for the arts and culture in this thread (and at Apple).

edit - Come to think of it, this ad is probably gonna be in every art history course going forward lol
 
Last edited:

Drachen

Member
May 3, 2021
6,113
People losing their marbles over this ad made me feel out of touch for once. I just don't get it, at all, even after reading explanations from people on twitter.
 

CloseTalker

Member
Oct 25, 2017
31,636
If the argument people are making is that offensive images stop being offensive if they're CGI because CGI isn't real, then no, they'd have to agree that my example isn't offensive.
I mean, people make that argument all the time, in all sorts of ways. This is a video game forum, and lots of things happen in video games that would be otherwise abhorrent in real life. People don't kill humans and animals on the regular in real life, but we do in video games.

But theres outside context in something like blackface (ironically, it being used heavily in animation) that makes it a completely different conversation to this. The imagery of damaging a guitar isn't inherently and widely considered offensive like blackface is. It's honestly bizarre and a little offensive to equate the two, even to illustrate a point

Again, I agree with you that the objects being CG have no bearing on someone's reaction to this ad. But I think your specific analogy is poor 🤷‍♂️
 

Coalponfire

Alt Account
Banned
Jan 25, 2024
6
I'm very serious about listening to the many recordings of Hijokaidan and the Apple advertisement because I enjoyed it.
 

Nepenthe

When the music hits, you feel no pain.
Administrator
Oct 25, 2017
21,284
People losing their marbles over this ad made me feel out of touch for once. I just don't get it, at all, even after reading explanations from people on twitter.
You don't get why destroying some historically and culturally significant tools necessary for artists to create to make a disposable computer wouldn't sit well with them?
 

RUFF BEEST

Member
Jun 10, 2022
2,174
Toronto, ON
The post I made saying about imagine if people put this energy into issues with vulnerable people was more talking about how news sites run stories like this, but when it comes to an actual genocide it's not a punchy headline for people to latch on to, I just simply didn't outright say this because of not wanting to derail the thread. Classic ERA on display though.
If you hate it here so much there is one solution I can think of.

In the meantime, I'll say it again, struggling artists are "vulnerable people," so your comment was off. And "what about genocide" is not a helpful message to just generically drop into every thread where someone is expressing a negative response. That doesn't lead to anything. That doesn't go anywhere.
 

Billfisto

Member
Oct 30, 2017
15,336
Canada
The artistic implements are literally being graphically destroyed in a sterile, uncaring machine. That's the overt text of the ad. Shaking my head at people using words like "distilled".

Also, on a meta level, part of my issue with the ad is that nobody involved in the production of it even seemed to consider how it could be taken, which is par for the course with tech right now, I guess. "We don't understand the implications of what we're doing and don't want to talk with anyone who might, we're just going for it."
 

Darknight

"I'd buy that for a dollar!"
Member
Oct 25, 2017
23,075
I mean, people make that argument all the time, in all sorts of ways. This is a video game forum, and lots of things happen in video games that would be otherwise abhorrent in real life. People don't kill humans and animals on the regular in real life, but we do in video games.

But theres outside context in something like blackface (ironically, it being used heavily in animation) that makes it a completely different conversation to this. The imagery of damaging a guitar isn't inherently and widely considered offensive like blackface is. It's honestly bizarre and la little offensive to equate the two, even to illustrate a point

Again, I agree with you that the objects being CG have no bearing on someone's reaction to this ad. But I think your specific analogy is poor 🤷‍♂️

Nobody is saying this and blackface is on the same level. They're pointing out that whether it is CGI or real doesn't matter.
 

YukiroCTX

Prophet of Regret
Member
Oct 30, 2017
3,049
It's a bad ad and tone deaf to what is currently going on in the industry. Like people know what they were going for with everything you can do in ipad thing but it's still bad imagery. It doesn't look empowering to creatives (important part), it looks dire. You have tech companies failing to pay creatives properly, stealing their works for A.I. thousands of people losing their jobs literally being crushed by these tech companies consolidating power. This is the same company that wouldn't let Jon Stewart talk about certain topics or talk to certain people. Now ad comes out art literally getting crushed. No shit people are going to have a bad reaction to the ad.

There are better ways Apple could have presented this.
 

Darknight

"I'd buy that for a dollar!"
Member
Oct 25, 2017
23,075
Well, they are pointing that out, but they're doing it by creating a situation by which if someone disagrees then they're essentially racist lol

They're pointing out how it doesn't matter whether it's CGI or real in one situation because it's about what's being conveyed to show you that if it doesn't matter there, it doesn't matter in this situation. The point isn't about real or fake; it's about what's being shown that matters.
 
Oct 29, 2017
1,065
I mean, people make that argument all the time, in all sorts of ways. This is a video game forum, and lots of things happen in video games that would be otherwise abhorrent in real life. People don't kill humans and animals on the regular in real life, but we do in video games.

But theres outside context in something like blackface (ironically, it being used heavily in animation) that makes it a completely different conversation to this. The imagery of damaging a guitar isn't inherently and widely considered offensive like blackface is. It's honestly bizarre and a little offensive to equate the two, even to illustrate a point

Again, I agree with you that the objects being CG have no bearing on someone's reaction to this ad. But I think your specific analogy is poor 🤷‍♂️
But even in the video game context, there are clear lines drawn regarding abhorrent behavior where the "CGI argument" wouldn't get a pass. Of course, a first person shooter isn't the same as going postal in the real world, but a video game where you only kill Black people shouldn't get a pass just because the violence isnt "real". It'd certain be "real" to me and millions of other folks. Imagery and context matter, and in this context, it's an appropriate analogy.
 

MegaZubat

Member
Oct 25, 2017
130
It's a bad ad and tone deaf to what is currently going on in the industry. Like people know what they were going for with everything you can do in ipad thing but it's still bad imagery. It doesn't look empowering to creatives (important part), it looks dire. You have tech companies failing to pay creatives properly, stealing their works for A.I. thousands of people losing their jobs literally being crushed by these tech companies consolidating power. This is the same company that wouldn't let Jon Stewart talk about certain topics or talk to certain people. Now ad comes out art literally getting crushed. No shit people are going to have a bad reaction to the ad.

There are better ways Apple could have presented this.

There was an edit linked on page three that I personally feel would have worked much better.

yeah it was bad vibes. Also it's not like everyone was frothing at the mouth over it, most people I saw were just dunking on it or pointing out why it rubbed them the wrong way 🤷‍♂️ it's ok to make fun of commercials!

Anyways I liked this guy's take on it. Simple fix that changes the vibe completely

View: https://x.com/rezawrecktion/status/1788211832936861950?s=46&t=gbYgL_rvpbF6qlAMTodElw
 

Ingueferroque

Member
Dec 26, 2023
1,686
New York, NY
It's a bunch of props and CGI.
All filmmaking involves creating and destroying things as part of the process.

So it is confirmed CGI? I wasn't sure. They should have added some disclaimer text at the end. 'No real objects were destroyed in the making of this ad.'

Thinking it showed real destruction was what bothered me about it, and it distracted me through the entire ad. It's a bad ad.
 

Ryu_Ken

Member
Oct 30, 2017
1,794
User Banned (3 Days): Inflammatory rhetoric
Is this one of those stories where its only like 10 people actually upset but its reported as if its some big thing
Pretty much, followed by the virtue signalling people who are like "oh yeah this is abhorrent" after having it explained to them to jump on the band wagon.

Absolutely pathetic.
 

Schwarzbier

Member
Nov 14, 2017
2,012
New Jersey
But the ad didn't show that. That's where it failed.

The close ups and extended shots are all art tools and supplies being destroyed. Not absorbed. Not subsumed. You watch a piano being rendered into splintered wood. A wooden drawing figure crushed. A guitar explodes from the mounting pressure. These are violent, destructive images. This is basic media literacy. Like, I feel like if I wrote a paper on this it would be sent back with the note "Give this another pass and try to dig deeper."

Yeah... this was a pretty poor way to depict what they were trying to. I watched the video before reading what people were outraged about, and just thought "It's such a shame to destroy all those great instruments". I work in the entertainment industry, and have a background in music, so that made me sad. Having your commercial invoke sadness is not the way to advertise a product. I realize this was pretty much all computer generated, but it's an awful message to send.
 

Nepenthe

When the music hits, you feel no pain.
Administrator
Oct 25, 2017
21,284
I mean, people make that argument all the time, in all sorts of ways. This is a video game forum, and lots of things happen in video games that would be otherwise abhorrent in real life. People don't kill humans and animals on the regular in real life, but we do in video games.

But theres outside context in something like blackface (ironically, it being used heavily in animation) that makes it a completely different conversation to this. The imagery of damaging a guitar isn't inherently and widely considered offensive like blackface is. It's honestly bizarre and a little offensive to equate the two, even to illustrate a point

Again, I agree with you that the objects being CG have no bearing on someone's reaction to this ad. But I think your specific analogy is poor 🤷‍♂️
Many of those conversations that I've unfortunately been privy to with gamers are filled with the same media illiteracy, inability to empathize, and largely sociopathic responses to violence as are being made in this thread. Gamers truly don't think about the images and stories they engage with because the industry doesn't prime them to think about anything beyond specs, release dates, cosmetic prices, and balance patches. But that doesn't mean anything with regards to the point artists are making with this specific ad.

I as a Black person am also not moved that you are offended by my utilization of a stark comparison to Blackface here, especially when the thread already brought up a real anti-Black advertisement. We've crossed the threshold already. It also further illustrates my point that people are unable to utilize media literacy because I didn't bring up that example to compare levels of offensive. I did so to easily shoot down the flimsy argument that emotional and analytical reactions to media become baseless if the media being reacted to is computer generated.
 

Ryu_Ken

Member
Oct 30, 2017
1,794
The implication is they are COMPRESSING them into a thin iPad. That's why it's under a COMPRESSOR. If the implication was "they're just destroying everything", they would have yeeted it all into a fire or something. They didn't actually destroy DSLR cameras, philosopher busts, or guitars, they did some CGI of them being destroyed under a compressor pretending like they're being compressed into an iPad.

I think the ad is dumb, I agree with that, but I do not see how this is treating human culture and creativity like it was trash. If it was all being burned in a fire I might understand that point of view, but with the context of the ad, I really don't.

They're advertising it's the thinnest iPad, being like "You can learn the guitar from this iPad, type with emojis, play arcade games, etc.". They're not saying "Nah we don't need all this stuff at all".
Stop speaking so much sense!
 

Coalponfire

Alt Account
Banned
Jan 25, 2024
6
You don't get why destroying some historically and culturally significant tools necessary for artists to create to make a disposable computer wouldn't sit well with them?
Apple isn't Daish, they aren't attempting to take away music & dance from people. I've been watching musicans use their Apple computers on stage since the days of the Apple Pismo and this is simply a 2024 version of an Apple Powerbook. It's a tool that someone will use to create art be it in sonic or visual form. The video clip was a fantasy, nothing more traumatic then that really.
 

Hollywood Duo

Member
Oct 25, 2017
42,989
The most offensive thing to me is really Apple taking credit for the entire internet, having a browser and YouTube app isn't some major accomplishment these days.
 
Oct 29, 2017
13,702
This is the simplest way I can put it.

1. The add intends to send the message that all these things combined can be had in the new iPad Pro.

2. They also want to emphasize with humor the fact that it is the thinnest iPad.

3. Because of visual choices juggling those two concepts the ad more strongly says: "The iPad replaces all these things" as these old thigs are treated like waste being compacted. Which is still effective advertising, however...

4. In the current climate of layoffs having an ad that so strongly implies that a single piece of tech has replaced many previous means of producing work is in poor taste.
 
Last edited:

BoondockRiley

Member
Nov 15, 2017
503
If you hate it here so much there is one solution I can think of.

In the meantime, I'll say it again, struggling artists are "vulnerable people," so your comment was off. And "what about genocide" is not a helpful message to just generically drop into every thread where someone is expressing a negative response. That doesn't lead to anything. That doesn't go anywhere.

Lmao, good job on dismissing the rest of my comment to fit the narrative you're trying to create. You clearly have an agenda here and quite frankly prove my point.

And on the subject, who the fuck are you to multi quote me into some garbage post about an actually racist ad as if that has anything to do with what the conversation is here? Do you know my skin colour? Do you know anything about me? Fuck outta here.
 

StarsAreStuff

Member
Feb 16, 2021
1,570
feel like having this stuff warp burst out of the iPad screen coulda been cooler? the destruction seems unneeded imo. maybe even treat it like magic show with someone reaching into the screen and pulling these things out idk
 

PaperSparrow

Community Resettler
Member
Oct 25, 2017
1,029
Gotta be honest "I don't understand why people are upset" has to be one of my most hated contributions to a topic. When you're talking about, like, MAGA idiots complaining about woke, sure, mentally distance yourself from that level of thinking as much as you want, but for stuff like this, it just comes off as emotional laziness. You can like the ad without making people who don't like it out to have an unreasonable, alien perspective. Just because you don't feel as strongly about something doesn't somehow make you more clear-headed on the subject.
 

Drachen

Member
May 3, 2021
6,113
You don't get why destroying some historically and culturally significant tools necessary for artists to create to make a disposable computer wouldn't sit well with them?
No because it's not like they went out destroyed every single piano or other creative tool in the world. And a LOT of people use Apple products to create these days over traditional methods.
 

Paz

Member
Nov 1, 2017
2,173
Brisbane, Australia
It's really weird how people think being uncaring about a topic makes you somehow more thoughtful or above things.

A lot of people think the ad sucks, if you didn't care or enjoyed it even then that's your right but it's not hard to understand why so many people think it sucks, and the reason isn't that they misunderstood it.
 

Coalponfire

Alt Account
Banned
Jan 25, 2024
6
No you didn't, just how I read it. Your post simply read to me like Apple's messaging of the clip was somehow similar to those of the Taliban destroying the Buddhas of Bamiyan. Apple and Silicon Valley crushing the will of creatives is a valid point but also a stretch to believe as well. Whatever though, Apple is truly sorry and it will not happen again.
 

Melpomene

One Winged Slayer
Member
Jun 9, 2019
18,536
Gotta be honest "I don't understand why people are upset" has to be one of my most hated contributions to a topic. When you're talking about, like, MAGA idiots complaining about woke, sure, mentally distance yourself from that level of thinking as much as you want, but for stuff like this, it just comes off as emotional laziness. You can like the ad without making people who don't like it out to have an unreasonable, alien perspective. Just because you don't feel as strongly about something doesn't somehow make you more clear-headed on the subject.
Unless you explicitly post it in an attempt to gain an understanding you feel you lack, "I don't understand why people are upset" is essentially an abdication of the intent to contribute to the discussion.
 

CloseTalker

Member
Oct 25, 2017
31,636
Many of those conversations that I've unfortunately been privy to with gamers are filled with the same media illiteracy, inability to empathize, and largely sociopathic responses to violence as are being made in this thread. Gamers truly don't think about the images and stories they engage with because the industry doesn't prime them to think about anything beyond specs, release dates, cosmetic prices, and balance patches. But that doesn't mean anything with regards to the point artists are making with this specific ad.

I as a Black person am also not moved that you are offended by my utilization of a stark comparison to Blackface here, especially when the thread already brought up a real anti-Black advertisement. We've crossed the threshold already. It also further illustrates my point that people are unable to utilize media literacy because I didn't bring up that example to compare levels of offensive. I did so to easily shoot down the flimsy argument that emotional and analytical reactions to media become baseless if the media being reacted to is computer generated.
I completely understand what you're saying, and again I actually agree with your premise. I agree that CG has nothing to do with anything (the fact that the conversation about it has lasted this long is frustrating, because it was actually such a dumb point in the first place). But I still respectfully think it was a poor analogy. You're free to think I'm an idiot or media illiterate or whatever you want haha
 

Pancracio17

▲ Legend ▲
Avenger
Oct 29, 2017
19,115
This is the simplest way I can put it.

1. The add intends to send the message that all these things combined can be had in the new iPad Pro.

2. They also want to emphasize with humor the fact that it is the thinnest iPad.

3. Because of visual choices juggling those two concepts the ad more strongly says: "The iPad replaces all these things" as these old thigs are treated like waste being compacted.

4. In the current climate of layoffs having an ad that so strongly implies that a single piece of tech has replaced many previous means of producing work is in poor taste.
I guess its that last point thats making all the difference. This ad seems pretty meh at first glance, but maybe if youre working on the industry it hits different.
 

Royalan

I can say DEI; you can't.
Moderator
Oct 24, 2017
12,261
I would imagine that if I were the head of a tech company and wanting to debut my latest product and position it as something great...

I'd want to place it among all these great facilitators of human art; not as born out of the vestiges of their destruction. I'd want you to feel good about owning my product because it contributes to society. And not like a dude bro who wants to buy this thing because it made the mannequin and dress figure obsolete.

But hey, I'm not an out-of-touch tech giant.
 

astro

Member
Oct 25, 2017
57,517
Excessively expensive luxury goods tech company squashing culture/creativity/art/etc... to produce their latest designer consumer product.

Come on, lol. It's obvious why this got some blowback.
 

Nepenthe

When the music hits, you feel no pain.
Administrator
Oct 25, 2017
21,284
I feel the same way about people getting riled up over this ad.
Most people aren't riled up over the ad at this point. They're riled up over idiotic responses expressing a significant lack of media literacy. The fact that you thought the only way for Apple to, inadvertently or otherwise, show a disregard for traditional media was for them to literally show the destruction of every piano on the planet or something means you are incapable of applying critical thought.