# Apple Crush! iPad ad

> Apple apologized two days after its iPad ad showed creative tools being crushed.

- Owner: Apple
- Kind: Campaign
- Sector: Technology
- Seed date: 2024-05-07
- Milestone date: Week of May 9, 2024
- Date basis: Documented milestone; not a measured attention peak. Some dates are known only to the week, month or year.
- Spread Score: 48 (Notable, provisional), v1.3
- Mechanics: Controversy, Response chain, Platform jump, Press loop, Pairing

## Summary

Apple premiered a hydraulic-press iPad ad. Replies, celebrity criticism and reverse edits spread on X, then press covered the backlash. Apple apologized and canceled the TV run. Samsung answered with UnCrush.

## Timeline

- 2024-04-23 — Apple (Open web) — Apple announced a May 7 event with an invitation showing an Apple Pencil.
- 2024-05-07 — Apple / Tim Cook (X) — Apple premiered Crush! during its iPad livestream, and Tim Cook posted the ad on X.
- 2024-05-07 — Kiaran Ritchie (X) — Kiaran Ritchie questioned the symbolism of crushing creative tools in a reply to Cook.

The full timeline, metrics and sources are on the case page, or via the Pro API (https://howitspread.com/mcp#api).

Canonical URL: https://howitspread.com/cases/apple-crush-ad

Cite as: How It Spread (2026). “Apple Crush! iPad ad.” Case HIS-01759. Spread Score v1.3: 48/100. Updated 2026-10-26. https://howitspread.com/id/HIS-01759