A Filipino Interpretation of Modernist Architecture Unlike the rest of Makati today, the northern end of Paseo de Roxas in Makati is anchored by a low complex rather than a tall skyscraper. This is the elegant Asian Institute of Management, designed by architect Gabriel Formoso and completed in 1971. In my opinion, the building is […]
Apple Apologizes After Tone-Deaf iPad Ad Implies Crushing Creativity
Apple Corporation publicly apologized after their newest commercial for the iPad Pro received massive backlash from the creative community as a “tone-deaf” ad that aimed to replace humanity from the practice.
Tor Myhren, Apple’s vice president of marketing communications, said that the video “missed the mark.”
“Creativity is in our DNA at Apple, and it’s incredibly important to us to design products that empower creatives all over the world,” he said. “Our goal is to always celebrate the myriad of ways users express themselves and bring their ideas to life through iPad. We missed the mark with this video, and we’re sorry.”
The new ad showed different tools and creative instruments crushed by a giant hydraulic press. Among the equipment crushed included a piano, trumpet, guitar, books, a typewriter, an arcade game cabinet, and paint cans. The hydraulic press lifts to reveal the new iPad Pro.
It was an attempt to spotlight the newest tablet as a multi-purpose creative tool and its thinnest creation yet. In the tweet showing the new ad, Apple CEO Tim Cook called it “the most advanced display we’ve ever produced.”
‘Destruction of Human Experience’
The general response to the ad has been visceral disgust. People online complained about its tone-deaf representation of art during a time when companies push for the replacement of human workers with artificial intelligence (AI).
Actor Hugh Grant tweeted that it was “[the] destruction of the human experience. Courtesy of Silicon Valley.”
Luke Barnett, an actor for shows like For All Mankind and NCIS: Los Angeles, highlighted the visceral effect of the advertisement with a glib comment: “If you thought THIS IPad ad was weird, you should have seen the first cut where they lined up all your favorite characters and shot them.”
The ad comes as AI threatens to displace creative workers from their fields. Such technologies have also been accused of plagiarism due to the way information has been fed into the systems. Multiple lawsuits aimed at companies like OpenAI over their alleged copyright violations.
The recent Hollywood writers and actors’ strike in 2023 largely revolved around the use of these technologies in Hollywood. Both strikes incapacitated productions, forcing concessions to major studios regarding their use.
“It is the most honest metaphor for what tech companies do to the arts, to artists, musicians, creators, writers, filmmakers: squeeze them, use them, not pay well, take everything then say it’s all created by them,” filmmaker Asif Kapadia said.
Upheaval of Human Creativity
Experts in marketing said that the very literal crushing of art products validated the fears of giant tech companies replacing art with technology. UK marketer James Clark compared it to past Apple ads which exemplified the spirit of creativity and innovation like the company’s “1984” Super Bowl ad.
“1984: Monochrome, conformist, industrial world exploded by [colorful], vibrant human. 2024: [Colorful], vibrant humanity is crushed by monochrome, conformist industrial press,” he said.
University of Pennsylvania professor Americus Reed II said that the ad did not come across well. He believes that “the way it came across is, here is technology crushing the life of that nostalgic sort of joy.”
Apple said after their apology that they will not be airing the ad on television due to the backlash.
Related reading: Apple Store Marina Bay Sands: A stunning addition to Singapore’s Skyline
“Thailand has claimed urban creativity and livability. Singapore has institutional design leadership. Indonesia is emerging as a design hub. Vietnam is moving into design innovation. And the Philippines? Its position is not weak. It is simply unclaimed.” For IDr. Cecil Ravelas, National President of the Philippine Institute of Interior Designers (PIID), the challenge is not […]
The Ramon Magsaysay Center as a Modernist Landmark Driving down Roxas boulevard from Rizal Park, what will catch your eye is the most elegant modernist structure in the country, the Ramon Magsaysay Center. Most established Filipino architects put it in their top ten lists of favorite buildings. It was designed by Alfredo J. Luz, who […]
Rinna Soriano’s favorite part of her work is sanding. At her workbench, she stays focused, following the grain, adjusting to changes in its direction. Narra, she has learned, can have interlocking grain. A piece of mango once proved particularly difficult until a worker explained that she had reached the point where a branch once grew […]
Filipino architectureArchitectureThe art and science of designing and constructing buildings, structures, and spaces that are functional, safe, and aesthetically pleasing. It encompasses the planning, design, materials, and techniques used to createGo to Architecture Glossary has long been associated with indigenous materials and vernacular design strategies, from bamboo and timber construction to jalousie windows, generous spaces, […]
A chair does not always prescribe how to sit in it. A lamp can be more than a source of light. A clock can be more than a way to tell the time.These small departures from convention are at the center of IKEA PS 2026. The latest iteration of IKEA’s experimental PS series comprises more […]
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