Apple has declared war on our humanity

🌈 Abstract

The article discusses Apple's new iPad Pro advertisement, which the author sees as a dystopian vision of a fully digitized society. The author argues that the ad suggests Apple wants to eliminate the tools and traditions of physical artistic expression in favor of a digital-only future.

🙋 Q&A

[01] Apple's iPad Pro Ad

1. What is the author's view on the iPad Pro ad?

• The author sees the ad as presenting a dystopian vision of a fully digitized society, where traditional tools and materials of human creativity are crushed by a hydraulic press.
• The author sees the ad as being "too on the nose" and likens it to the "boot stamping on a human face" scene from Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four.
• The author argues the ad suggests Apple wants to "extinguish and replace creativity in the physical world" and "eliminate the tools and traditions of the artisan."

2. How does the author interpret the symbolism in the ad?

• The author sees the crushing of objects like a mahogany metronome, trumpet, globe, and printer inks as symbolic of Apple wanting to eliminate physical tools and traditions of artistic expression.
• The author argues Apple considers these physical objects as "obstacles and impediments" to artistic expression, rather than the "very stuff of an inner life itself."

3. What does the author see as the key loss represented by the ad?

• The author argues the greatest loss is the "third dimension" - the tactile, sensory experience of physical art and music that cannot be fully replicated on a screen.
• The author gives examples like seeing the texture and brushstrokes of a painting in person, or hearing the unscripted sounds of a live musical performance.

[02] Implications of the Digitization of Creativity

1. How does the author view Apple's vision for the future of creativity?

• The author sees Apple's vision as one that wants to "banish tastes, touch and smell" and "scrub out the texture and leave only the text" of the artistic process.
• The author argues Apple wants to "extinguish and replace creativity in the physical world" in favor of a digital-only future.

2. What does the author see as the potential dangers of this vision?

• The author argues that by envisioning a future where all physical tools and materials of art are eliminated, Apple has made explicit "what many fear we will lose" in the transition to a more digitized world.
• The author sees this as a "dystopia" where the sensory, embodied experience of art and creativity is lost.

3. How does the author view Apple's role in this transition?

• The author is critical of Apple, arguing they "seem to have drifted to one very remote end of the spectrum" away from their previous embrace of diversity and creativity.
• The author sees the ad as revealing Apple's "totalitarian vision" where they want users to "discard your former life" and see the iPad Pro as "literally all you need."