Apple makes rare apology for their new "Crush" ad after backlash

[Nepenthe]

No one is seriously offended by the ad.

We're now offended that people are insisting that the only reasonable reading is the literal one.

People keep talking about intent, seemingly unaware that the thread has already acknowledged the intent. The discussion should then be about how the visuals come across, and how different interpretations can be borne from different life and cultural perspectives. People have explained with unnecessary patience why they didn't like the ad.

Instead of simply going "oh, I get it now" or "I still don't see it the way you saw it," the response had largely been "anyone who took a negative reading (largely artists) is unreasonably offended and virtue signalling." The fact that the ad really didn't play well in Japan has largely gone untouched; I dunno, maybe no one wants to call the makers of our precious anime and video games shrill and irrational.

And that's another thing too. The chud-lite dog whistles have been off the charts. "Outrage." "Virtue signalling." "Rational." Yeah sure, Jan; sure you aren't stepping in it right now?

The people who like the ad don't have the high ground to claim personal offense now.

 

[Jonnax]

I think if they instead crushed a Playstation, Xbox, Switch and a gaming PC with all the RGB LEDs

Then it turned into an iPad playing the hit game Monopoly Go that had a marketing budget larger than the development budgets if Last of Us 2 and God of War 2 combined.

I think a lot of people saying they don't care now would be upset. 🙃

 

[Fat4all]

i love how everyone goes to "well what if they crushed VIDEOGAMES??!?"

if i had an ipad i'd play sim tower and FTL for like 500 hours

 

[Gwarm]

Maybe it's silly, but the commercial was upsetting to me just because they were breaking things.

 

[Doc Holliday]

I thought it was just a really shitty ad. I also thought it was super weird how IP holders let Apple basically abuse their characters and products. Poor angry birds looked like they were in pain.

I'm an artist so I get why people would feel some kind of way about it, especially with the way the job market is right and with AI. Sucks because Apple basically made the whole presentation about tools for artists only to step on the whole thing with a horribly conceived ad.

 

[CloseTalker]

No one is seriously offended by the ad.

We're now offended that people are insisting that the only reasonable reading is the literal one.

People keep talking about intent, seemingly unaware that the thread has already acknowledged the intent. The discussion should then be about how the visuals come across, and how different interpretations can be borne from different life and cultural perspectives. People have explained with unnecessary patience why they didn't like the ad.

Instead of simply going "oh, I get it now" or "I still don't see it the way you saw it," the response had largely been "anyone who took a negative reading (largely artists) is unreasonably offended and virtue signalling." The fact that the ad really didn't play well in Japan has largely gone untouched; I dunno, maybe no one wants to call the makers of our precious anime and video games shrill and irrational.

And that's another thing too. The chud-lite dog whistles have been off the charts. "Outrage." "Virtue signalling." "Rational." Yeah sure, Jan; sure you aren't stepping in it right now?

The people who like the ad don't have the high ground to claim personal offense now.

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My dude, if you haven't convinced people by page 3, you ain't doing it by page 12 lol.

 

[Nepenthe]

My dude, if you haven't convinced people by page 3, you ain't doing it by page 12 lol.

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It's less about convincing people and more not letting people troll the thread to death.

 

[CloseTalker]

It's less about convincing people and more not letting people troll the thread to death.

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I feel like you're feeding them at this point, you've made these same points many times. The thread has probably just run its course at this point tbh, it's just the same conversation running in circles

 

[Sai]

ive learned the error of my ways

if im not offended by this ad for a tablet computer i must not care about;

-art
-artists
-video game studios being closed
-musicians
-the crafts of building a piano
-the crafts of fucking a piano
-symbolism

i am now offended by this ad

not only because i dont wanna get yelled at, but because my heart grew like the grunch in that cartoon, which is also art

and now i know that the only thing thats allowed to destroy a piano is a movie, cuz its art cancelling out art, so its like, a wash

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it's so weird that you just keep posting lol

 

[Fat4all]

it's so weird that you just keep posting lol

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if i stop posting i get crushed by the hydraulic press

 

[WetWaffle]

Again, just like the person I was replying to, you're asserting and making your own assumptions on to me. My concern is genuine and there is nothing faux about it. And suggesting about closing the thread has nothing to do with me being challenged thanks. If I didn't want a discussion then I wouldn't post. What I don't appreciate is being spoken for and the things that I'm saying to be twisted, which is exactly what you're doing now. Any suggestion about closing this thread is everything to do with the toxic conversation between users and not seeing the benefit for any party.

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If you're not fooling, I'm even more bewildered(and it's still condescending). Maybe you just didn't notice it but how you posted is an extremely common way right wingers try to discredit criticisms people have about any problem, of any magnitude for years(Why all the energy for X, why not Y) even down to the denials. And you sure werent helping your case with the tone policing(your language is so venomous/aggressive) and unironically using "Are you triggered?" You werent suggesting to lock the thread by the way. If you have a problem with people interpreting your post because of the inherent implications, an edit or ignoring the thread is an option, that's what I'm saying.

it's so weird that you just keep posting lol

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I guess he thinks if he keeps trying so hard to be funny, he won't need to seriously respond or even think about this topic.

 

[Kensation]

I say we should be demanding MORE things to be crushed in a hydraulic press.

 

[MyDudeMango]

I say we should be demanding MORE things to be crushed in a hydraulic press.

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The orphan crushing machine is rad as fuck and I'm tired of pretending it's not

It's less about convincing people and more not letting people troll the thread to death.

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Yeah the trolling is just weird and seethey at this point and I'm left wondering how much longer it's even gonna go on for lol.

 

[Dr.Social]

I guess he thinks if he keeps trying so hard to be funny, he won't need to seriously respond or even think about this topic.

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Nah his posts are about as serious as this topic deserves.

 

[Necromanti]

I'll admit, I don't fully connect with some of the critiques where people felt it was directly gross/disrespectful/mean/off-putting/etc. (Well, maybe just a small handful of the reactions where people seem to be having totally different conversations.) But I can appreciate it being used as a springboard for highlighting more important issues.

It's surprisingly tame and low-concept; feels done to death.

 

[MyDudeMango]

I'll admit, I don't fully connect with some of the critiques where people felt it was directly gross/disrespectful/mean/off-putting/etc. (Well, maybe just a small handful of the reactions where people seem to be having totally different conversations.) But I can appreciate it being used as a springboard for highlighting more important issues.

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Completely reasonable reaction/opinion and I respect it tbh. Nobody would be having an issue if that was the sort of respectful replies and differing opinions there were more of rather than... the messes this whole thread is filled with. 😅

 

[Kyuuji]

Nah his posts are about as serious as this topic deserves.

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If people working in creative industries want to discuss something like this, that evidently caused a ripple in said communities, what's the issue. Why doesn't it meet the bar of just discussing something normally?

 

[MyDudeMango]

If people working in creative industries want to discuss something like this, that evidently caused a ripple in these communities, what's the issue. Why doesn't it meet the bar of uh, just discussing something normally.

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because caring about things and having empathy is hella cringe and thus punishable by no less than public humiliation and death by a thousand unfunny troll posts

 

[WetWaffle]

Nah his posts are about as serious as this topic deserves.

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I feel a little bad for you if you think a thread about criticism of a commercial that insults creative industries warrants a grown ass man role-playing as a dog trying so hard to be funny it's embarrassing.

 

[Fat4all]

you arent allowed to make fun of me im a graphic designer and its my birthday and im just a little guy

 

[Fat4all]

a grown ass man role-playing as a dog

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[Dr.Social]

If people working in creative industries want to discuss something like this, that evidently caused a ripple in said communities, what's the issue. Why doesn't it meet the bar of just discussing something normally?

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It doesn't deserve a 12 page thread of people talking down to others because they aren't as good and progressive and virtuous as them because they didn't get mad at an iPad ad.

 

[lunarworks]

The whole ad is like it takes pleasure in destroying those things. Somebody should change the song to something from a horror movie, I bet it will fit. There are many ways they could have gone without the "graphic" imagery and still make the point that ipad can do all those things.

But hey corporate worshipping is the new religion of our times and god forbid you say anything bad about them. Apple loves artists so much they increased the price of the ipad and you have to buy a new pen lol.

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Eh, it's not as much corporate bootlicking as it is "Unlike you snowflakes, I am not so easily triggered."

All my stuff is Apple, and I'm quite put-off by the ad myself.

 

[BLEEN]

This ad is nothing new, it was done in 2008 by LG so Apple just ripped it off


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcUAQ2i5Tfo

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Lmao of course they did

 

[MyDudeMango]

It doesn't deserve a 12 page thread of people talking down to others because they aren't as good and progressive and virtuous as them for not being mad at an iPad ad.

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As if the thread isn't filled with people talking down to others for finding the ad in poor taste, or implying they're only bothered because they don't understand the ad, as if they're not the very reason why it got to so many pages? Also quite classy with thinly-veiled virtue-signal accusations

 

[CloseTalker]

As if the thread isn't filled with people talking down to others for finding the ad in poor taste, or implying they're only bothered because they don't understand the ad, as if they're not the very reason why it got to so many pages? Also quite classy with thinly-veiled virtue-signal accusations

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Let's just agree that we all talk down to each other, we've all collectively spent wayyyyy too much time on this at this point, and get to our weekends.

 

[Fat4all]

everyone talks down to me cuz im a dog

 

[MyDudeMango]

Let's just agree that we all talk down to each other, we've all collectively spent wayyyyy too much time on this at this point, and get to our weekends.

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Of course that's the perspective one would insist on when they're more on the side that shat things up and made a mess to begin with. Anything to avoid blame and both-sides it.

 

[Trike]

We have some real context comprehension issues in this thread. I brought up the racist PSP ad because people were insisting that the Apple ad should be judged on Apple's intent and not how the actual content of the ad could be interpreted. I wanted the user's response to the PSP ad to see if they felt the same way about it.

The ads are obviously different, I was critiquing their argument by applying it to another example.

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And then someone took your post and put replies about the Apple ad in front of it to make it seem like they were replying to the PSP ad, which is what I was referencing.

 

[CloseTalker]

Of course that's the perspective one would insist on when they're more on the side that shat things up and made a mess to begin with.

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This might be getting a tad pathetic lol

 

[Kyuuji]

It doesn't deserve a 12 page thread of people talking down to others because they aren't as good and progressive and virtuous as them for not being mad at an iPad ad.

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You're right that it doesn't deserve it. It does deserve a thread where people who do take issue with it, the thing that has caused a stir and provoked conversation within creative communities, can just talk about it without being ridiculed. Even in your reply you can't resist a level of condescension.

Few people are mad, most find it tone deaf and it brings to mind several frustrations and anxieties people in creative industries face right now. We know it means 'iPad is super flat and can do creative things' but advertising is design and the way you're communicating the point, primarily to people who are creative, is measured in how it lands. This missed the mark, Apple acknowledged it. Discussing this should be possible without someone hounding the conversation with sarcasm and mockery.

 

[MyDudeMango]

This might be getting a tad pathetic lol

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Classy!

 

[PBalfredo]

What poor ad. The pitch of "We were able to fit all these things into an iPad" only works if those things are all things people love. And if they're things people love, then why show them being destroyed in grisly detail with a trash compactor?

 

[CloseTalker]

Classy!

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Listen, if you need to convince yourself that you're going to go to bed tonight as one of the "good guys" (in a conversation about an iPad lol) I'm not going to stop you. But just consider breathing in, taking a step back, and wonder if it's worth it

 

[Metal Gear?!]

the optics of the ad while tech is currently replacing creatives with ai is bad.

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The ad has nothing to do with AI though. It doesn't even mention it. It's compressing all these things into an iPad because the iPad is thin.

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It may not have been an NVIDIA conference but this was the first time Apple touted "AI" this much, and the ad perfectly encapsulates how the techbros see "AI" as just some algorithm compressing everything down, completely oblivious to the destructive real world effects their products have.


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcEvXbMyFz4

 

[MyDudeMango]

Listen, if you need to convince yourself that you're going to go to bed tonight as one of the "good guys" (in a conversation about an iPad lol) I'm not going to stop you. But just consider breathing in, taking a step back, and wonder if it's worth it

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Never said I was some great big good guy. You're projecting that onto me, that's just what you choose to see me as and portray me as in your mind. Either way, there's no reason to do personal insults and namecalling.

 

[DontHateTheBacon]

I'm legitimately confused as to what is so offensive about that ad

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Same, I kept waiting for whatever it was, I guess I'm not dialed in enough?

 

[Billfisto]

And then someone took your post and put replies about the Apple ad in front of it to make it seem like they were replying to the PSP ad, which is what I was referencing.

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Yeah, I don't get what happened there, either.

 

[RUFF BEEST]

Listen, if you need to convince yourself that you're going to go to bed tonight as one of the "good guys" (in a conversation about an iPad lol) I'm not going to stop you. But just consider breathing in, taking a step back, and wonder if it's worth it

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Really, honestly, that is enough. You need to stop posting and leave people alone instead of talking like one of those weird people who smiles really big the more passive aggressive their shitty comments get or some kind of low rent bully character from a Nick Jr. cartoon. Calling other posters pathetic and offering such completely disposable psychological "insight" is probably about as embarrassing as that other guy who asked me if I was "triggered."

 

[MyDudeMango]

Yeah, I don't get what happened there, either.

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Yeahhh like it's a good enough point on its own to quote and say 'here, look at the amount of replies of people complainer-complaining on just the first page or two' but the PSP/racial thing being tacked on is confusing??? Dunno, maybe I'm just missing something.

 

[CloseTalker]

Really, honestly, that is enough.

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alright

 

[RUFF BEEST]

Yeahhh like it's a good enough point on its own to quote and say 'here, look at the amount of replies of people complainer-complaining on just the first page or two' but the PSP/racial thing being tacked on is confusing??? Dunno, maybe I'm just missing something.

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Yeah, I don't get what happened there, either.

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It was just to underline that intent isn't magical and optics matter to people who drove by with "I can't believe people are upset" takes who think that what needs to happen is they need to explain the ad to us. I probably was leaning too much on brevity and juxtaposition and should've explained. I'm sorry.

 

[MyDudeMango]

It was just to underline that intent isn't magical and optics matter to people who drove by with "I can't believe people are upset" takes who think that what needs to happen is they need to explain the ad to us. I probably was leaning too much on brevity and juxtaposition and should've explained. I'm sorry.

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Naw naw I getcha, i think I roughly understood what you meant but the brevity did make it ambiguous yeah.

 

[Maxim726x]

the optics of the ad while tech is currently replacing creatives with ai is bad.

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Ehhh you really gotta dig deep for that one.

I didn't even consider this seeing the ad just now for the first time.

 

[SilentPanda]

View: https://x.com/AngelicaOung/status/1788241764383678900

Seems it was culturally insensitive to Japanese people as well.

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Well, Japan pride itself on it's history of craftmanship 工芸, usually with a family and over 100 year of history of perfecting their specific craft(More famous are usually Doll, ceramic, metal etc), and it's not just Japan and China, there are also such crafting family all over asia.

We also have them in Taiwan, not just lamp like these, also music from Taiwanese, and Taiwan aboriginal tribe, the current puppet that got more popular because of anime style production.
Our government also study and try to preserve and introduce it through the Bureau of Cultural Heritage

文化部文化資產局--國家文化資產網

nchdb.boch.gov.tw

90 year old from a family of craftman that make the paper lamp.

Taiwan news reporting on it(It also made it onto gaming news site<Like IGN in the US>)

蘋果罕見道歉了！　iPad Pro新廣告「輾壓人類創意」被罵爆 | ETtoday國際新聞 | ETtoday新聞雲

蘋果公司（Apple）7日釋出新款iPad Pro廣告，用液壓機壓扁書籍、相機及樂器等物品後變出一台iPad Pro，影片曝光被炎上，挨轟「輾壓人類創意」，就連男星休葛蘭（Hugh Grant）都出面怒批「破壞人類經驗」，蘋果9日為此罕見向大眾道歉。

www.ettoday.net

 

[Nepenthe]

Ehhh you really gotta dig deep for that one.

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Which is why a significant portion of the Internet didn't like the ad.

Instead of assuming that people were trying to be offended, why not just accept that people had a different read on first glance than you did?

 

[MyDudeMango]

We also have them in Taiwan, not just lamp like these, also music from Taiwanese, and Taiwan aboriginal tribe, the current puppet that got more popular because of anime style production.

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Every time I see those Taiwanese puppet shows I'm reminded of that terrible time they tried to dub and re-edit and release it in English as a totally different show called 'Wulin Warriors' lol.

I need to seek out more Taiwanese media tbh. I've mostly only seen cheesy kung fu stuff like Joseph Kuo or Jimmy Wang Yang's later output, stuff like Beheaded 1000.

 

[Foolhardy]

"You're reaching time be offended" really does have "your concerns about AI putting you out of work are overblown" energy, right down to the delivery.

 

[MyDudeMango]

"You're reaching time be offended" really does have "your concerns about AI putting you out of work are overblown" energy, right down to the delivery.

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It's always the most tiring part. Not just that things are getting worse, but to the very end you'll be portrayed as ridiculous for worrying or taking issue and nobody will ever go back and reflect if and when the worst comes to pass. Though what I speak of is more specific to AI topics hah.

 

[Maxim726x]

Which is why a significant portion of the Internet didn't like the ad.

Instead of assuming that people were trying to be offended, why not just accept that people had a different read on first glance than you did?

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Obviously, quite a few people saw what's being discussed here, so I'll take that L.