Apple apologizes for iPad Pro ad showing hydraulic press destroying guitars, piano

Apple apologizes for iPad Pro ad depicting hydraulic press crushing guitars and pianos.

Apple apologized on Thursday for a brief ad promoting the new iPad Pro tablet, following widespread criticism on social media.

“Our goal is to always celebrate the myriad of ways users express themselves and bring their ideas to life through the iPad,” Apple marketing VP Tor Myhren told Ad Age, an advertising trade journal. “We missed the mark with this video, and we’re sorry.”


Apple CEO Tim Cook shared the ad on X, formerly Twitter, on Tuesday. Apple also released it on YouTube. It showed a range of creative equipment, such as a guitar, piano, and metronome, being pushed by a hydraulic crusher — similar to recent viral TikTok movies — until they were all compressed into the company’s new tablet.

Apple has also opted not to show the ad on television, according to Ad Age.

The commercial sparked outrage, including widespread media coverage, as viewers claimed it made Apple appear out of touch, and many commented that the destruction of the creative tools offended them.

Some Apple critics suggested that the unfavorable reaction to the ad, rather than promoting Apple’s marketing message for free, indicated that the corporation was running out of customer goodwill. Apple is a prominent advertiser and has historically been closely tied with TBWA/Media Arts Lab, its longtime marketing agency. However, it also undertakes some advertising development internally.

It is not the first Apple iPad advertisement in recent years to irritate some buyers. In 2018, some individuals were annoyed by an iPad Pro commercial in which a toddler wonders, “What’s a computer?”.