Apple apologises after piano crushing ad backlash

Apple has apologised after a backlash over an advert that showed objects, including musical instruments and books, being crushed by a hydraulic press.

Apple said the advert fell short of its goal of empowering and celebrating creatives, in a statement released to marketing publication Ad Age.

The video was meant to demonstrate how creativity has been compressed into the latest iPad. But celebrities including Hugh Grant and Justine Bateman reacted with horror to the destruction shown in the advert.

Apple boss Tim Cook has been called tone deaf for his post on X, formerly Twitter, about the device, where he asked people to "imagine all the things it’ll be used to create".

Criticism levelled at the tech giant is diminishing it’s reputation with claims the advert shows how tech is stifling creativity rather than encouraging it.The criticism is particularly pointed because of the concerns in many of the creative industries about artificial intelligence (AI) taking people's jobs.

Multi-platinum selling songwriter Crispin Hunt called the act of destroying musical instruments evocative of burning books.

However, it is important to note that the Apple ad is strikingly similar to a LG phone ad from 2008.

- CyberBeat