Apple can usually be trusted with smart, well-produced ads, but they missed the mark here. Latest, depicting a tower of creative tools and analog items literally squeezed into the shape of an iPad. Many people, myself included, had a negative, visceral reaction to this, and we need to talk about why.
It’s not just because we see things being crushed. There are countless video channels dedicated to smashing, burning, exploding, and generally destroying everyday objects. Moreover, of course, everyone knows that something like this happens every day at transfer stations and recycling centers. So, it’s not.
And the thing itself isn’t that valuable. Pianos certainly have some value. But we see them getting blown up in action movies all the time, so we don’t feel bad about it. I like pianos, but that doesn’t mean I have to have some unused baby grands. The same goes for the rest. Most are junk you can buy off Craigslist for a few bucks or for free at the dump. (It may not be the editorial department.)
The problem isn’t with the video itself, which, to be fair to the people who directed and filmed it, is very well made. The problem is not the media, but the message.
Everyone understands the ostensible point of this ad. That means you can do all of these things on your iPad. wonderful. Of course, you could do that with the previous iPad, but this one is thinner (no one asked for that, by the way; cases don’t fit anymore) and has a somewhat better composition ratio. I am.
But unlike Apple’s advertising executives, what we all understand, precisely because we live in this world, is that what’s being shattered here is something physical, something tangible. It means that it represents something, something real. And authenticity has value. The values that Apple clearly believes can be shattered into yet another black mirror.
This belief disgusts me. And obviously many others as well.
destroy the piano in music video or Mythbusters episodes It is actually an act of creation. Even destroying a piano (or monitor, or paint can, or drum kit) for no reason is wasteful at worst.
But what Apple is doing is destroying these things to convince you that you don’t need them — All you need is the company’s little device that can do everything and more, without any strings, keys, buttons, brushes, mixing stations or other clutter.
We are all dealing with the impact of a massive shift in media to digital and always-online. It’s really good in many ways! I think technology has given us great power.
But on another, equally pragmatic side, digital transformation feels harmful and coercive, with technotopian billionaire-approved visions of the future in which every child has an AI best friend. , where you can learn to play a virtual guitar on a cold glass screen.
Does your child like music? You don’t need a harp, throw it in the garbage. An iPad is sufficient. Do they like to draw? Apple Pencil is as good as pen, watercolor, and oil. Book? Don’t make us laugh! Destroy them. Paper has no value. Please use another screen. In fact, why not read more with fake paper on Apple Vision Pro?
What Apple seems to forget is that the very things that exist in the real world, the things that Apple destroys, are what give the fakes their value in the first place.
A virtual guitar cannot replace a real guitar. It’s like thinking that a book can replace the author.
That doesn’t mean you can’t appreciate both for different reasons. But Apple’s ads send the message that the future Apple wants has no paint bottles, no dials to turn, no sculptures, no physical devices, and no paper books. Of course, that’s the future the company has been trying to sell us for years, and it’s just never expressed it so openly before.
If someone tells you who they are, believe them. Apple is very clear about who they are and what they want to be in the future. If you don’t feel disgusted by that future, you’re welcome.
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