Apple has apologized and admitted it 鈥渕issed the mark鈥� with its latest iPad Pro advertisement.
The ad, posted Tuesday by Apple CEO Tim Cook, was met with backlash from internet users who felt that the ad celebrated technology鈥檚 destruction of human creativity and art.
In a statement to , Apple鈥檚 vice president of marketing communications, Tor Myhren, apologized.
鈥淐reativity is in our DNA at Apple, and it鈥檚 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,鈥� Myhren said. 鈥淲e missed the mark with this video, and we鈥檙e sorry.鈥�
Apple confirmed the statement it provided to AdAge but declined to provide further comment.
The ad shows symbols of human creativity, like musical instruments, paint cans, an 鈥�80s arcade video game and a bust of a human head crushed by a giant hydraulic press. As the metal slabs of the hydraulic press lift, Apple鈥檚 new iPad Pro is revealed.
鈥淢eet the new iPad Pro: the thinnest product we鈥檝e ever created, the most advanced display we鈥檝e ever produced, with the incredible power of the M4 chip. Just imagine all the things it鈥檒l be used to create,鈥� Cook wrote in a post on X accompanying the video.
Internet backlash to the ad was instantaneous: 鈥淭he symbolism of indiscriminately crushing beautiful creative tools is an interesting choice,鈥� wrote one social media user. 鈥淭his ad effectively convinced me I need less technology in my life,鈥� wrote another.
Other users said the ad was in poor taste amid growing fears that AI could replace workers 鈥� even those in creative fields. Actor Hugh Grant on social media that Apple鈥檚 ad represented 鈥渢he destruction of the human experience.鈥�
Apple no longer plans to run the ad on TV, according to AdAge.
The mea culpa was rare for Apple, though the ad has not been deleted from Cook鈥檚 X account.
