The controversial Apple iPad commercial that depicts crushing items to highlight the iPad's thinness faced immense backlash, with viewers perceiving it as aggressive and cruel. People criticized the ad for symbolizing the destruction of creativity and nostalgia, contrasting it with the 1984 Macintosh commercial. The commercial's tone was deemed off, evoking negative feelings instead of the joy Apple commercials usually evoke. The ad's thinness emphasis sparked a call for a shift in focus towards longer battery life and performance gains instead of relentless pursuit of thinness. The lack of diverse perspectives in the creation process raised questions, with many perplexed at how such an ad received approval, causing a rapid and visceral rejection from the core customer base.