With the debut of the new iPad Pro, Apple put out a controversial ad that saw creative tools crushed by a hydraulic press. Now, Samsung is firing back at the ad with a brief Galaxy Tab S9 spot that says “creativity cannot be crushed.”
Apple’s “Crush” iPad Pro ad debuted during the company’s launch event on May 7. The ad saw a hydraulic press physically crushing musical instruments, paints, books, camera lenses, and more before revealing an iPad Pro at the end. The intent of the ad was clearly to show how all of those items are squeezed into the super-thin new iPad Pro, but it was meant with criticism.
For many, the ad took on a second meaning of how tech companies treat creatives and artists, and also how the advancements of AI and technology are casting doubt on traditional means of creativity.
Apple ended up apologizing for the ad, saying that it “missed the mark” and scrapped plans to run the ad on TV. The ad – which has picked up millions of views – hasn’t been deleted from YouTube or social media, though.
Now, Samsung has stepped in with an ad of its own, showing a musician walking through the aftermath of Apple’s hydraulic press and picking up a partially destroyed guitar. Then, sitting on an easel, is a Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra with musical notes, and the musician strums along.
At the end of the ad, Samsung says that “Creativity cannot be crushed.” And, in a caption on Twitter/X, the company says it would “never crush creativity.” It’s a clever way to poke fun at Apple’s ad, the it’s done pretty tastefully on the whole too.
The timing for the ad comes as no major surprise. Apple is making its new iPads available to early customers starting today.
Meanwhile, the Galaxy Tab S9 series is available starting at $799, with Samsung touting up to $800 in trade-in credit from its website. The ad also briefly reminds viewers that the Tab S9 series now has “Galaxy AI,” a suite of AI features that arrived in an update earlier this year.
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