Samsung noticed that people were angry about Apple’s ‘Crush!’ iPad Pro ad and, in record time, created its own commercial where products aren’t destroyed.
In Samsung’s understated ‘Uncrush’ ad, not much actually happens — but that’s the point. A woman quietly plays a damaged guitar as the phrase “Creativity cannot be crushed’ appears, followed by a Samsung logo on a Galaxy Tab S9 and, in smaller writing, “with Galaxy AI.”
The camera then zooms out, revealing that the woman with the guitar is sitting on the same stage where Apple’s Crush ad took place, as noted by the same coloured splattered paint.
Overall, it’s a pretty funny spot and reminiscent of Samsung’s 2017 Galaxy S8 commercial that poked fun at the iPhone X’s notch in a Galaxy S8 commercial (notably, the Tab S9 in this commercial sports a notch — oh how things have changed). Two massive tech companies taking shots at one another through pricey advertisements will always be entertaining.
In Apple’s Crush ad, several creative tools, including a piano, a guitar, an arcade cabinet and more, are crushed in an effort to symbolize what the tech giant’s M4-powered iPad Pro is capable of. This made a lot of people really mad despite it being clever and entertaining (who doesn’t want to watch things get smashed?)
Most are likely more upset about the rise of AI and how the technology is poised to ruin several creative industries, and from that perspective, I understand the widespread anger. This is just a catalyst for that frustration, despite not overtly mentioning AI. Apple eventually apologized for Crush!, admitting it “missed the mark.” Apple is expected to focus heavily on AI at this year’s WWDC in early June.
Uncrushed is an undeniably clever spot, and it’s impressive how quickly the South Korean tech giant moved to create it. For more on the iPad Pro, check out Bradley Bennett’s hands-on with Apple’s latest high-end tablet.
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