Why Apple’s ‘Crush’ ad is so misguided

Welcome to Week in Review: TechCrunch’s newsletter recapping the week’s biggest news.

This week Apple unveiled new iPad models at its Let Loose event, including a new 13-inch display for the iPad Air, as well as Tandem OLED and a new M4 chip for the iPad Pro. But its ad for the new iPad Pro made the biggest waves from the event, for all the wrong reasons. For Apple completionists, we compiled all of the new announcements in case you missed it. 

In the world of EVs, the embattled Fisker Ocean is facing yet another federal safety probe. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has opened a fourth investigation into the SUV surrounding claims of “inadvertent Automatic Emergency Braking.”

AI deepfakes took center stage at this year’s Met Gala. AI-generated images of Katy Perry and Rihanna, neither of whom attended the event, went viral on X. A good reminder that we can’t believe everything we see online.

It’s been a big week. Let’s get into it.

News

New updates from OpenAI: On Monday at 10 a.m. PT, OpenAI will demo new features for both ChatGPT and GPT-4. CEO Sam Altman denied reports that the company was preparing to announce a rival search engine product ahead of Google’s I/O conference. Read more

Say hello to the portal: A new, always-on video portal lets people in New York City and Dublin interact in real time. Portals.org, the organization behind the project, wants it to encourage people to interact with one another “above borders and prejudices.” Read More

OpenAI explores allowing AI porn: The company released a new NSFW policy intended to start a conversation about how it might allow explicit images and text in its AI products. But can we trust OpenAI — or any generative AI vendor — to do it right? Read More

Cops can’t use Microsoft’s AI tool: Microsoft has reaffirmed its ban on U.S. police departments from using generative AI for facial recognition through its enterprise-focused tool: Azure OpenAI Service. Read More

Dorsey says bye to Bluesky: Ex-Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey revealed on X that he is no longer on Bluesky’s board. In a statement, the company thanked Dorsey for his help funding Bluesky and said they are actively looking to replace his seat. Read More

Is Gen Z ditching Tinder for Hinge?: Match Group released its first-quarter earnings report, which shows a steady decline of Tinder’s paying user base. But Hinge is on track to become a “$1 billion revenue business,” in part due to its à la carte offerings for price-conscious Gen Zers. Read More

Spotify paywalls lyrics: The music streamer quietly confirmed that it has started moving its lyrics feature behind a paywall in an attempt to entice more users to migrate to its Premium subscription service, invoking the ire of users. Read More

Analysis

Apple’s “Crush” ad is disgusting: Devin Coldewey says Apple’s latest ad that crushes analog creative tools into an iPad Pro missed the mark. Apple has since apologized and canceled plans to televise it. Read More

How Newchip’s bankruptcy threatened thousands of startups: Mary Ann Azevedo and Christine Hall report on startup accelerator Newchip’s fall from grace and the ripple effects on its founders — including those who lost their businesses in the fallout. Read More

Is rabbit’s R1 really that bad?: Much has been said about rabbit’s ambitious R1 AI assistant and it not living up to its promises. Devin argues that even though it likely shipped too early, an experimental device like this is a fun look at a possible future. Read More