I’m having trouble processing what I just watched. It’s an ad from Apple about its new iPad. It turned my stomach. Then, it made me incredibly angry. Then, I was just sad.
The ad, which depicts instruments of creativity and creation being crushed by a gigantic press, ultimately reveals a new iPad – which, I guess, is supposed to demonstrate how all of the tools we use to create and consume art and music are combined to create an iPad.
To me, it is a horrifying declaration of how Apple thinks about the creative community. It will probably still be online when you read this. Maybe Apple is proud of their work. I don’t know. It makes me sick. (Apple apologized in a statement to Ad Age yesterday.)
I was born into the music business (my parents owned music stores and were music educators). From the earliest age, I was taught to respect every musical instrument. If you don’t play, you may not understand the intimate, symbiotic relationship between an artist and their tools – but it is profound.
So, Tim, I’m asking you directly: Is this what you think of the creative community? Is it your goal to crush us? To crush the life out of our instruments? To literally crush our souls?
Author’s note: This is not a sponsored post. I am the author of this article and it expresses my own opinions. I am not, nor is my company, receiving compensation for it. This work was created with the assistance of various generative AI models.
About Shelly Palmer
Shelly Palmer is the Professor of Advanced Media in Residence at Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and CEO of The Palmer Group, a consulting practice that helps Fortune 500 companies with AI strategy, implementation and governance, as well as technology, media and marketing. Named one of LinkedIn’s Top Voices in Technology, he is a bestselling author, covers tech and business for Fox 5’s Good Day New York, is a regular commentator on CNN, and writes the popular daily business blog Think About This. Follow @shellypalmer or visit shellypalmer.com.