NEW YORK: I find it hard to believe that no one on Apple’s marketing team saw this coming. Maybe they were too timid to speak up. Perhaps they were overruled. Maybe they didn’t care.
The ad’s intended message was to suggest that all these wonderful tools could now be faithfully re-created using one of the new iPads announced Tuesday . But many saw something different, and backlash is picking up steam. A line of new iPad Pros stands ready for demos during an Apple launch event, New York, US, October 30, 2018. It is Apple’s worst marketing faux pas since it forced everyone to listen to U2. It speaks to our broad fears that recent drastic advancements in technology are a grave risk to the joy, authenticity and spontaneity of human creativity.
As Apple has matured, its advertising has become mundane. Soft hues and cheerful scenes display the core features of the iPhone et al in an informative, if uninspiring, manner. Apple is spending massively on artificial intelligence initiatives and has started trumpeting its products as being best-in-class for AI. We’ll hear more about the company’s AI work next month at its annual developers’ conference, where the company will be under pressure to show it hasn’t fallen behind Microsoft Corp. and others.