Credit
where
it’s
due:
the
commercial
for
the
new
iPad
Pro
is
impeccable.
In
the
commercial,
a
hydraulic
press,
like
the
kind
that
crushes
Skittles
all
day
on
TikTok,
slowly
descends
onto
a
whole
amalgamation
of
artistic
endeavors.
As
the
large
metal
plate
drops
like
Tesla’s
stock
in
2024,
it
crushes
musical
instruments
and
destroys
classical
sculptures.
Tubes
of
paint
pop
like
balloons
sending
a
cascade
of
color
across
Apple’s
carefully
constructed
canvas
of
stuff.
Finally,
it
accomplishes
its
job.
This
gathering
of
creations
meant
to
represent
the
whole
history
of
human
creativity
is
laid
flat
by
the
unstoppable
force
of
Apple’s
hydraulic
press.
And
then,
as
the
press
slowly
rises,
all
of
that
artsy
mess
disappears.
What
is
left
behind
is
Apple’s
new,
beautifully
sleek
iPad
Pro.
I
remember
watching
it
during
Apple’s
livestream
and
thinking,
“That’s
very
pretty,”
and
also,
“Oh,
this
was
not
the
right
time
for
this
commercial.”
Which
must
have
been
prescient
on
my
part
because
now
a
whole
lot
of
people
—
primarily
in
the
artistic
community
—
are
furious
about
the
commercial.
Hugh
Grant
called
the
commercial
the
“destruction
of
human
experience”
on
X.
Apple’s
intent
is
plain:
everything
you
could
do
with
all
this
stuff
can
now
be
done
with
a
single
iPad.
Isn’t
technology
remarkable?
That’s
a
tactic
that
has
worked
very
well
for
Apple’s
advertisers
in
the
past,
and
they’ve
touched
on
this
concept
before
—
particularly
in
early
iPod
and
iPhone
commercials.
But
the
last
time
Apple
used
this
shtick,
writers
and
actors
in
Hollywood
hadn’t
spent
half
a
year
campaigning
to
protect
their
jobs
from
AI.
Game
studios
hadn’t
laid
off
thousands.
AI
musicians
hadn’t
proliferated
on
YouTube
and
TikTok
to
the
fury
of
the
record
labels
and
artists,
and
the
Tupac
Shakur
estate
hadn’t
issued
its
first
AI
rap
beef
cease
and
desist
order.
The
last
time
Apple
did
this,
people
weren’t
talking
quite
as
urgently
about
AI
automation
snapping
up
all
the
jobs
humans
once
held.
The
conversation
on
computers
and
automation
has
changed
lately,
and
Apple,
which
was
caught
flat-footed
last
year
with
the
proliferation
of
AI,
just
stepped
right
on
the
rake.
Next
time,
Apple,
perhaps
read
the
room
instead
of
just
crushing
it
slowly
with
a
hydraulic
press.
Original author: Alex Cranz
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