Samsung picks up from where Apple left off in rebuttal ad: 'Would never crush creativity'

After Apple received a ton of brickbats for its controversial ‘crushing creativity’ ad for the iPad Pro 2024, Samsung leveraged the opportunity to hit back at its long-time rival with a reply.  

Picking up literally from where its rival left off, Samsung’s ad shows the aftermath of Apple’s destruction of creative tools caused by the huge hydraulic press. The simple video shows a woman walking through the debris of crushed tools, picking up a guitar and strumming it. The ad has been titled "Uncrush", a rebuttal to Apple's original ad. The advert thumbs its nose at Apple, showcasing its support for traditional tools of creativity. 

Last week, Apple marked the launch of its thinnest-ever iPad with a commercial. In the advert, a large hydraulic press crushes items like guitar, video game, paint jars and a piano to reveal the new slim iPad Pro 2024. While the point of the ad was to show that the gadget contains all the capabilities of these tools, much was lost in translation.

It was interpreted as Apple’s attempt to destroy traditional creativity and an affront to artists who are already threatened by the advent of artificial intelligence. It invited criticism from many quarters with celebrities like Hugh Grant and Hritik Roshan condemning it on social media. Following the backlash, Apple apologised for being tone deaf.