Apple iPad advert: company apologises for new controversial iPad Pro crush 2024 ad that 'missed the mark'

Tech giant Apple has issued an apology, saying that it had "missed the mark” following backlash over its most recent iPad advert, which featured creative tools like books and musical instruments being crushed by a hydraulic press.

The purpose of the one-minute-long video was to showcase the extensive array of artistic instruments and tools that have been ‘compressed’ into the most recent iPad Pro - the thinnest the company has ever made.

It shows a wide range of instruments, an arcade gaming machine, books, paint cans, a sculpture, and other items being crushed under the press. It then rises to reveal the new iPad.

Read more: Apple: new gen iPad Pro unveiled at event

But several high-profile figures expressed their disgust at the idea on social media, with the devastation depicted provoking a strong response.

Many critics suggested that rather than symbolising the power of the new device, it actually highlighted how technology is being used to stifle creativity rather than enhance it.

Actor Hugh Grant said the ad showed “the destruction of the human experience. Courtesy of Silicon Valley”.

Songwriter Crispin Hunt said the “crushing” of musical instruments “evokes the same primal horrific sacrilege as watching books burn”.

“Surprisingly tone-deaf from Apple, who’ve previously enabled and championed creativity,” he said.

Posting the advert to X, formerly Twitter, Apple chief executive Tim Cook said the new iPad Pro said the device had “the most advanced display we’ve ever produced” and highlighted its “incredible power”, adding “just imagine all the things it’ll be used to create”.

However, replies to the post also expressed horror at the visuals of the adverts, with commenters saying it showed unnecessary destruction and a lack of respect for creative equipment.

The criticism comes at a particularly sensitive time, with many in the creative arts sector raising concerns about the impact of technology, and specifically the rise of generative AI, on their work and its potential to take jobs from people.

Tor Myhren, Apple's vice president of marketing communications, said in a statement to marketing publication Ad Age that the company values creativity, and that “it’s incredibly important to us to design products that empower creatives all over the world.”

“Our goal is to always celebrate the myriad of ways users express themselves and bring their ideas to life through iPad. We missed the mark with this video, and we’re sorry.”