Apple’s Errant iPad Video Also Vilified the Hydraulic Press

The wave of negative publicity surrounding Apple’s recent promotional video for the introduction of its iPad Pro tablet did not go unnoticed by Apple. Responding to a relentless wave of social media criticism, the electronics company apologized late Thursday through a statement posted on the site of Ad Age.

The video, which shows a hydraulic press crushing various products, was meant to symbolize the new Tablet as a creative tool. However, a flood of social media posts immediately canned the video, claiming it devalued years of human creativity in inventing products and generating art and music. For instance, music buffs came down hard on the video as the press pulverized several musical instruments.

The apology, issued by Apple’s vice president of marketing communications, Tor Myhren, said, “Creativity is in our DNA at Apple, and it’s incredibly important to us to design products that empower creatives all over the world. Our goal is to celebrate the myriad ways users express themselves and bring their ideas to life through iPad,” Myhren said. “We missed the mark with this video, and we’re sorry.”

But while Apple is making amends, the company might also reconsider its use of a hydraulic press as a symbol of doing away with the past. Hydraulic presses have in recent years shown up in YouTube videos crushing products for supposed entertainment. But this is far from the intended function of these impressive machines.

Related:Apple Unveils New iPad Amidst Jarring Video Promotion

Shaping Metal for Good Use

Anyone familiar with metalworking and assembly understands that a hydraulic press has long played a key role in bending, forming, and shaping metal for various purposes.

According to scienceabe.com, the hydraulic press relies on Pascal’s Principle, established by French mathematician Blaine Pascal in 1647-1648. The principle states that a pressure change at any point in a confined incompressible fluid is transmitted throughout the fluid such that the same change occurs everywhere. The hydraulic press is a machine press that, relying on Pascal’s Principle, uses two cylinders to generate a massive force to compress objects.

Wikipedia noted that the hydraulic press was invented by English inventor Joseph Bramah around 1795. Wikipedia added that hydraulic presses are used in assembling and disassembling tightly-fitting components. In manufacturing, they are used for forging, clinching, molding, blanking, punching, deep drawing, and metal forming operations. Other uses include stretch forming, rubber pad forming, and powder compacting.

Related:Apple Is Forced to Decontent Its Newest Smartwatches

According to Wikipedia, hydraulic presses are a key manufacturing staple, providing the ability to create more intricate shapes and potentially be economical with materials. A hydraulic press will take up less space when compared with a mechanical press of the same capability.

Cocoa and Swords

Scienceabc.com noted that while hydraulic presses are used to crush cars in junkyards, their compressive forces are also useful in producing cocoa powder by squeezing out the liquid and fat. The site also noted that theses presses provide the necessary force to shape and compress metal into swords.  

Also, not all hydraulic presses are massive machines designed to crush or form tons of steel. Smaller presses, which hobbyists with a little skill and attention to safety are also available for metalworking of more intricate parts. See the video below.