A dystopian iPad commercial has X ripping Apple for crushing instruments and art | Hacker News Reader

A dystopian iPad commercial has X ripping Apple for crushing instruments and art

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54 pointsLorenDB78 comments

The first time I watched it, it did make me feel...uneasy? Sad? Hard to explain. Watching things we're nostalgic for crushed away hurts in a weird way. A stark reminder that your early years are gone and not coming back. All when the end result is another soulless rectangle slab.

All of that said, I do think many are overreacting, especially those calling for firings all the way up to Cook over it(yes, I really read that, multiple times.) It's just an ad, it didn't physically hurt anyone.

exactly. like Jordan Peele says the difference between comedy and horror is the music.

If you mute the sound on this apple Ad, then play Padme's Funeral Theme as the music instead, its a whole different vibe. It's like watching the death of humanity crushed down into a soulless block of nothing.

Just tried it out and... Yup. Completely different vibe, absolutely soul crushing. It lines up perfectly well if you start playing Padme's Funeral Theme at 0:04 right when the iPad ad starts, even the ending where the iPad is revealed gets an ominous tone.

That crushed googly-eyed-yellow-balls would disagree if they were still around.

I enjoyed this ‘fixed’ version of the ad: https://x.com/rezawrecktion/status/1788211832936861950

Wow. I was expecting an edit that would further mock Apple but this super simple change massively improved the ad IMO while maintaining all of the cool ideas the original creators had.

It wouldn't fix the complaints about all the items destroyed to make the ad, but other than that—yeah, this gets out the same idea, in a much more positive direction. I like it.

A much better ad! Showing the iPad as so much more than the some of its parts, instead of Apple’s original ad, which is to take all the charm and joy and talent required to make art in real life and discard it for a lifeless slab of glass.

Maybe this whole saga is the ad, including controversy + fixit job. In reverse though it's still destruction... not a big deal because it's just an ad, but kind of oddly arrogant? Hard to describe. If a more peaceful but still Skynet-like entity made some kind of propaganda, it'd be something like this. Perhaps AI made this ad it has that vibe. I hope we see a making-of for the ad.

When I saw the backlash, I thought it was silly. Until I saw the ad. It really was in poor taste. It shows Apple’s total lack of engagement with the real world, with art and artists and their instruments and tools. In Apple’s universe, those are all distilled to digital facsimiles that can fit on a glass slab.

One reading of this ad could be a play with the viral “hydraulic press” videos and the idea that the product is an amalgamation of all sorts of creative tools.

Another reading is the disregard for destroying nice things that lots of people would love to have access to or own.

I guess it really depends on the background of who watches the ad. In this regard it seems whoever came up with the ad lacked some cultural sensibility.

It is a great ad because it does what everything marketing team wants you to do: discuss the product. I'd consider it a success for invoking lots of different emotions. To me, it's humorous to have all of the physical things portrayed there virtually smushed into an iPad lol

Sorry but no, having worked in advertisement it's still an awful ad that will haunt the company.

There is no world in which "destroy everything you care about and trade it for our product" is a good message and won't have a lasting impact for 5-20 years.

This is a stunningly bad failure and people can and should be fired.

But that's not at all what I see. It's just a funny visual for "it does all these things". The hugely negative reactions are insanity.

Look man, it deliberately evokes an old timey vibe or past mementoes with the music while graphically depicting items from that past being destroyed.

You not seeing anything isn't the point. Clearly many many many others do.

What’s wrong with smooshing inanimate objects?

Would you have an issue if I smooshed your house?

If you purchase someone's house you can smoosh or do whatever you want with it.

Did any object in the commercial belong to you? Are them even real?

What an impoverished take on reality.

This seems pointlessly antagonistic and condescending.

I would have no issue if you smooshed a 3D rendering of my house

Were these objects stolen from somebody??

It's wasteful.

It produced a video that's fun to watch for some people (and an ad, which is valuable if you're Apple). Mythbusters wasn't wasteful either.

These aren't one-of-a-kind objects.

"people can and should be fired"

This is beyond ridiculous. Now someone should lose their job because some objects were destroyed. IF the objects were even real.

>people can and should be fired

I am honestly becoming bewildered at this point. This ad where they crush some things à la a YouTube hydraulic press video is now generating what appears to be actual hatred for real humans. Is our culture really this sick? What is happening?

Some people apparently have more empathy for objects than for humans.

I don't even care about downvotes anymore. This is beyond sick.

Americans Against Upright Piano Abuse

I'm not so sure about "all publicity is good publicity" - it's true that it works if nobody has heard of your product. Sales-wise, it's better that a million people hear about it and 70% have a negative view of your advertising while 20% don't care and 10% like it, than it is to have 10,000 people hear of it and every one of them like it.

But when you're at Apple's level? Probably 95% of the US population knows what an iPad is and probably 80% have used one at some point. At that level you have to be more concerned about brand management. If people start getting a negative association with your brand then you open up the door to competitors. Look at Twitter, Tesla, etc. - tons of press, very controversial, but it doesn't seem to help at their level.

It is amazing visuals, I think everyone kind of wants to see what throwing paint around, smashing a guitar, etc feels like and this kind of does that.

I do hope it all computer generated or props — it was a great collection of culture, even though I know old pianos are essentially worthless.

I think if they had generated a black hole and had it all sucked in and smashed together would work -/ I think you could have had similar visuals but more fantastical distribution that rises as the phoenix into the iPad Pro.

Seemed like a funny light hearted take on the hydraulic press channels on YouTube to me

I think the problem with it is more about how it’s emphasizing hardware physical attributes of the device but apple is mostly about the culture and the feeling in their past ads. When u buy an iphone u know ur not getting the best hardware but you but it for the culture and the feelings it gives you no?

Apparently it is culturally insensitive in Japan to destroy beautiful tools and works of art. Most on X are just piling on but some Japanese might have a more visceral response to the ad.

It’s insensitive to anyone with a soul.

Yup. And/or mechanical empathy.

This discussion reminds me of that time a guitar was smashed in The Hateful Eight[0].

But that time the outrage was more understandable since they mistakenly destroyed an antique 145 year old guitar lend from a museum.

[0] https://youtu.be/mfToONTEgpw

I really don't see how this is distopian. they are basicly jsut saying that all of these creative tools can be crushed down into an ipad. that the ipad does everything all that stuff did. I can't the only one who feels like this is an amazing achievment.

I get that this was the original idea.

But besides the question whether that is actually true (it is not, the ipad certainly can't do everything as good) the issue people seem take with this that its not just compressed or put into it but literally destroyed and crushed.

Yeah, definitely first world problems but I can relate to that.

They have a million ways of conveying the message of "compress", yet they delibrately choose the most violent and destructive one. Think of cinematic or cartoon-ish effects like turning the objects into colorful fluid on compress and magically forge an ipad.

Instead of this they choose to show every detail of instruments being painfully crushed and destroyed.

"Hey look at all of these things you like! These are great, right? Now watch us destroy them, watch them get crushed into smithereens before your very eyes. Forget about all of that busted up crap that you used to like, buy our new slab instead!"

It's dystopian because they're crushing these items, and not only crushing them, but doing it slowly in a way that seems to take pleasure in the destruction. Because they've unintentionally created a visual metaphor for the relentless commoditization, dehumanization and destruction of culture and art by capitalism, tech and AI, and the crass arrogance displayed by the tech community towards creatives.

If you can't interpret any meaning in the ad beyond Apple's sales pitch, fair enough, but there are other ways to interpret visual language besides the literal.

And... it's not that amazing an achievement. An Apple tablet that runs Adobe software? Big deal. Even the "thinness" that's supposed to be the focus of the message isn't that impressive. No one really cares that Apple shaved a millimeter off the cross-section, it just a vanity spec that makes the damn thing more fragile.

Check for the reverse: https://youtu.be/XyMeoSUYWxw

I've seen some discussions around this ad circulating alone, and I understand the concerns, but at the same time I feel it's a bit much ado about nothing. I think the thought here is clearly "this device is the capabilities of all these items together", which frankly isn't untrue. I find it as charming or insulting as any other ad, which is to say it feels as corporate as anything else, it just comes at a time where creatives feel more on the back foot.

I think it was pleasant that it didn’t showcase AI as now making all the art.

Odd that this says "X" while the article says "Twitter." Did the poster change the headline, or did USA Today?

Articles and headlines are often written by different people

The days maybe not even literal "people"

Sorry, meant the difference between this HN post and the article headline.

Accelerationism at its best. First political statement from Apple if I’m not mistaken.

literally 1984

Both submissions (this and https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40310893) flagged, and no longer up for discussion.

Says a lot about the HN crowd, and I have to say, I'm disappointed.

The backlash against Apple is growing: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cld0rxlqgggo

...in my opinion, for good reason. I haven't seen mentioned in any of the comments the fact that Apple controls their ecosystem, and takes away our freedom to use our devices. That's the antithesis of "creativity", and I'm disgusted that this seems to be OK with HN voters.

OK, that made me laugh more than I thought I would.

Imagine if someone pitched this commercial to Steve Jobs

Not sure what he would say.

Considering neither of us knew him personally and you're just basing your opinion off a public caricature.

I bet there was an argument inside Apple HQ from people who did know him personally about how this would land though, which is fun to think about.

Is it really "basing your opinion off a public caricature" to wonder what a popular figure would think of their business after their departure? The man is dead, it's not like you have to defend Jobs' likeness in case he Tweets how he feels about it tomorrow.

He might very well like it, who knows.

i feel the media is bored and over reporting on this.

It's a pretty crap ad - they have a weird oblique shot of the product from a angle so you can't even get a sense of the proportions.

I won't comment too much on the messaging, but I will say that it very much seems to be targeted more towards the people paying for the ad than end customers.

now someone make this same ad but with Apple stuff and the figurines are billionaires

I'd be happy if they just put in the Vision Pro and all the other VR headsets.

Well, that tears it! I had my iPad Pro preorder all set, but if somebody on X doesn't like the commercial, I'm cancelling this instant.

I've heard more people talking about this ad than any other in recent memory. What a failure.

Spot on. As I said on another thread, it's easy to do virtue signaling by bashing or acting shocked.

Doesn't that make the ad a success? Getting people to discuss the product leads to greater awareness of the product. Awareness of the product might lead to more sales

This is true for a product from an unknown startup. I'm willing to bet 99% of iPad 3 buyers have already heard that the iPad exists from a source other than this ad or its online echoes.

It's just a mediocre ad, it has no effect to either increase or decrease the sales. those who hate Apple will pile on, fanboys will rant about the beauty of creative sacrifice, most people will be indifferent to an unequivocally ugly and forgettable ad.

it got you to write 81 words about it, so I don't know if I'd call the ad mediocre.

I have never bought an Apple product and likely never will, so there's that.

I didn't know it was the thinest iPad. That actually made me want to check it out.

we're here, talking about the ad, and by extension the product. which makes it a huge a success for the marketing team. are people that were going to buy an iPad before now not gonna buy an iPad because they got offended? maybe! are people who weren't in the market for a new iPad now thinking about iPads? yup.

It's not that simple. Something like this hurts the brand.

No, no! You have to buy two now to (checks notes) piss off Elon Musk!

Thank goodness the entire Apple ecosystem consists of millions of you and no one else then right?

A few replies didn't catch the sarcasm. You have to remember: There is no amount of sarcasm that will be obvious to all readers.

oh really

Steve Jobs würd sich im Grabe umdrehn wenn er noch leben würd

I'm guessing this was an AI-generated video using Apple's own AI models. Probably generated on the iPad itself.

WTF. Trying to lure new customers by saying that all their memories. sentimental belongings or cute little toys will be destroyed?

I want to know which is the marketing agency (or person) that thought that it would be a good idea.

OK, boomers.

The target is creators, or those that think they are.

"The ad was reportedly created in-house with production by Iconoclast and directors Vania and Muggia"

https://www.marketingdive.com/news/Apple-ipad-pro-ad-controv...

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