Many things were exciting about yesterday’s keynote event where Cupertino took wraps off new iPads alongside a refreshed Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil Pro. One thing you might have noticed during the keynote when the iPad Pro was unveiled, or if you had a moment to watch the recent one-minute-long iPad Pro ad shared by Tim Cook, is that Apple seems to have a penchant for smashing things in the ad.
To recall, in this scene, we witness a whole mishmash of things, from paints, guitars, and sculptures, all getting smashed down, and the 2024 iPad Pro pops up like it owns the place. While I understand how attentive Apple is about everything it puts together for a keynote, even I felt creeped out especially when the yellow-painted ball with a straight face was smashed.
Now, those who value creativity are dragging Apple into the iPad Pro ad’s comment section and asking for justification for the creepy scene. One user said, “I can’t relate to this video at all. It lacks any respect for creative equipment and mocks the creators.” They further add, “I wonder what Steve Jobs would think if he saw this.”
“The symbolism of indiscriminately crushing beautiful creative tools is an interesting choice,” wrote another user. “I felt sad when I saw creative tools such as musical instruments and cameras being destroyed. I don’t think the creators will like this video. Is it my Japanese sensibility that makes me feel this way?” the backlash continued.
As much as Apple is known for making good products—or products that sell like hotcakes, its marketing game is a case study in itself. It’s why every element in Cupertino’s ads has hidden meanings in them, or some say easter eggs. We don’t really know the actual motive behind this notion, but what appears is, “to show all of these elements are compressed into one product,” which could have been the real motive behind this 2024 iPad Pro ad, explains a user.