A newly released ad promoting Apple’s new iPad Pro has struck quite a nerve online. The ad shows a hydraulic press crushing just about every creative instrument artists and consumers have used over the years — from a piano and record player, to piles of paint, books, cameras and relics of arcade games. Resulting from the destruction? A pristine new iPad Pro. Apple’s intention seems straightforward: Look at all the things this new product can do. But critics have called it tone-deaf — with experts noting that the campaign’s execution missed the mark, showing instruments and tools cherished by many being mercilessly crushed by technology.
