Apple apologizes for its controversial iPad Pro ad

(CNN) — Apple has apologized and admitted it “missed the mark” with its recent iPad Pro announcement.

The ad was published on Tuesday In social networks Apple CEO Tim Cook received negative reactions from Internet users, who saw him as celebrating the destruction of human creativity and art through technology.

In a statement to AdAge, Apple’s vice president of marketing communications, Tor Myhren, apologized.

“Creativity is in Apple’s DNA, and it’s very important to us to design products that foster creativity around the world. Our goal is to always celebrate the limitless ways users express themselves and bring their ideas to life through iPad,” Mirren said. . “We missed the mark with this video and we are sorry.”

Apple confirmed the statement provided to AdAge, but declined to comment further.

The ad shows symbols of human creativity, such as musical instruments, paint cans, a video game from the 1980s and a bust of a human head crushed by a giant hydraulic press. Lifting the sheet metal of a hydraulic press reveals Apple’s new iPad Pro.

“Introducing the new iPad Pro: the thinnest product we’ve ever created, the most advanced display we’ve ever made, and the incredible power of the M4 chip. Imagine everything you can create with it,” Cook wrote in a post. X that accompanied the video.

Online reaction to the ad was immediate: “The symbolism of the random crushing of beautiful creative tools is an interesting choice,” one social media user wrote. “This ad has convinced me that I need less technology in my life,” another wrote.

Other users said the ad was in poor taste amid growing concerns that artificial intelligence could replace workers, even those in creative fields. Actor Hugh Grant wrote on social media that Apple’s ad represents the “destruction of the human experience.”

Apple no longer plans to air the ad on television, according to AdAge.

This error was rare for Apple, though, as the ad was not removed from Cook’s X account.