Why Apple’s New iPad Pro Ad Sparked Backlash

AApple’s new iPad Pro ad begins with the ticking of a mechanical metronome, which is a device used to help musicians keep time. It then cuts to a record player and finally to an image of a giant hydraulic press, where the metronome, turntable, various musical instruments, an arcade video game and other items sit, waiting to be crushed.

The 1972 song “All I Ever Need Is You” by Sonny & Cher starts playing, and the metal plate of the hydraulic press descends on the precious items. We watch a trumpet get smashed, followed by paint cans, a clay sculpture of a person’s head, an angry bird puppet, an old television, cameras, a guitar, books, and emoji plush toys. Finally, after the press has crushed all the items, the metal plate lifts up again and an iPad is revealed underneath. “The most powerful iPad ever is also the thinnest,” says a disembodied female voice. An Apple logo appears on the screen, and in exactly one minute the ad ends.

The advertisement was shared on X (formerly Twitter) by Apple CEO Tim Cook, next to the caption: “Meet the new iPad Pro: the thinnest product we’ve ever created, the most advanced screen we’ve ever produced, with the incredible power of the M4 chip. Imagine all the things it will be used to create.”

Despite the high production quality and unique concept, many social media users disagreed with the ad. “I was sad when I saw creative tools like musical instruments and cameras being destroyed,” commented one user X.

Meanwhile, English actor Hugh Grant referred to the ad as “the destruction of the human experience. Courtesy of Silicon Valley.”

Another commentator suggested that the ad would have worked much better if was played in reverse and objects were shown expanding out of the iPad instead of being crushed by it.

TIME has reached out to Apple and Tim Cook for comment.

Apple may well be trying to capitalize on the trend of hydraulic press videos, which have become popular in recent years. These short videos often show everyday objects being destroyed or crushed and have racked up millions of views on platforms like TikTok and Instagram.