Apple faces backlash over “tone deaf” iPad Pro ad from celebrities & fans
AppleApple’s latest iPad Pro commercial isn’t working the way Apple hoped. Figures like Hugh Grant, Justine Bateman, among other creatives and Apple fans, are criticizing the advert for being “tone deaf.”
Apple revealed its new iPad Pro lineup at their ‘Let Loose‘ event, and they also released a commercial showing off the new tablets. The new iPad Pro is Apple’s thinnest device yet, but the company’s attempt at promoting its capabilities, and new thin form-factor might have missed the mark with its intended audience.
The ad shows a hydraulic press, similar to those seen all over TikTok, gradually descending onto objects like musical instruments, colors, balloons, and sculptures. As the hydraulic press crushes everything in its wake, the new iPad Pro emerges in all its glory.
Tim Cook praised the ad and the tablet on X with a “Just imagine all the things it’ll be used to create” call-out. But the internet didn’t quite agree with him.
Among the many fans and celebrities criticizing Apple for the advert are Hugh Grant and Justine Bateman. Grant wrote in an X post that the ad shows “the destruction of the human experience.” Bateman, who’s a vocal anti-AI activist, wrote, “Truly, what is wrong with you?” quoting Cook’s post.
Pete Woods, a comic book artist who has worked on comic books like Deadpool, called the Apple ad “tone-deaf” while noting that there’s “nothing new” about the new iPad that helps them “create better than previous versions.”
Emmy-winning Handmaid’s Tale director Reed Morano wasn’t happy either. “Hey @tim_cook READ THE ROOM, BRO. CUZ THIS SH*T IS ACTUALLY PSYCHOTIC,” he wrote.
Computer scientist and essayist Paul Graham noted that “Steve [Apple founder Steve Jobs] wouldn’t have shipped that ad. It would have pained him too much to watch.” X user @Hidarino_Machi replied to Tim Cook’s post saying “You destroyed all the creative tools and effort of humans. Worst. Commercial. Ever.”
Dexerto has analyzed the overall sentiment from X users worldwide and found over 32,000 negative posts about the iPad Pro following the release of the new commercial. However, the product managed to also garner over 52,000 positive posts, with evangelists praising the new M4 chip, and the device’s thinness.