Apple’s (NASDAQ:AAPL) “Crush” Ad Is the Stuff of Nightmares

Yesterday, Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) unveiled the new iterations of its iPad Air and iPad Pro tablets. These are Apple’s first new iPad models since October 2022, and CEO Tim Cook described the launch event as the biggest day for the iPad since its debut. However, it turned out to be a big day for the iPad for the wrong reasons. The company’s “Crush” ad for the iPad seems more like something out of nightmares and is drawing a barrage of criticism from netizens, creatives, the PR world, and a host of celebrities.

Crushing Creativity

The ad, named “Crush,” shows an assortment of creative tools – musical instruments, paint cans, books, a bust, a typewriter, a record player, and an arcade game machine – being slowly crushed by a compressor. Once the compressor crushes the items, it lifts back upwards to reveal Apple’s super thin iPad undamaged.

Cook posted the ad on X (formerly Twitter), calling on people’s imagination for all the things the iPad Pro could be used to create.

However, the ad has righty drawn criticism for its celebration of destruction and nihilism. Instead of encouraging imagination, the grim ad is more likely to trigger one’s worst AI nightmares. In recent times multitudes of artists, creators, and everyday workers have been fretting if the advent of AI will lead to a loss of their livelihoods. Moreover, Actor Hugh Grant has called the ad, “the destruction of the human experience.”

It is surprising that this ad came from the same company that in 1984 dished out the famous Super Bowl ad that introduced the Macintosh. On YouTube, the ad has so far garnered over 600,000 views. Fortunately for Apple, comments have been disabled on the platform.  

Is Apple a Buy, Sell, or a Hold?

Not surprisingly, Apple’s shares are ticking lower in the early trading session today. Overall, the Street has a Moderate Buy consensus rating on the stock, alongside an average AAPL price target of $204.39.

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