You know my positions on Apple stuff, so I think you will understand where this comment is coming from. I'm going to respectfully disagree that Apple is not responsible for making a mistake here. I think they chose very poorly and should pull the ad.
The problem is that they are incorporating a song whose clear message -- when heard in its entirety -- is anti-American. Legal? Sure. Free speech, all that. But it's not a pro-America message.
Editing out the most objectionable parts is just, well, sorry but I think it's just chickenshit. It's not honest. The song is the song.
I'm a musician, a songwriter, a performer. My songs, and the songs that I cover, are pieces of musical art that are to be taken and understood as whole works, not as snippets chosen to disguise the message they convey.
Apple -- or their ad agency -- made TWO mistakes. First was choosing that song as a theme. Second was deleting parts of the song for reasons of censorship.
The first mistake was IMO a stupid error. The second mistake is worse, because it is dishonest. The song is the song.
I don't mean to try to convince you or anyone to agree with me. Just saying what I think, first as a musician and songwriter, and second as an Apple customer.
I actually agree with you. I would not have chosen such a song. I wonder if the people charged with approving the commercial had ever heard it. . . or were just nodding along with the rhythm and saying "catchy." Steve Jobs would not have allowed it. When asked about why he did not allow Apple to make donations to political candidates, specifically Democratic Candidates, he stated that HALF of Apple's customers were Republicans. . . and he did not want to alienate half of their customers, either way. For Jobs, it was always about business and pleasing customers. His politics were always private, away from Apple.
These later managers at Apple are not so wise as Jobs, I think. . . or, perhaps, as careful in checking every detail about everything. Jobs was a perfectionist and compulsive about it. I see signs that that kind of attention to detain is no longer there.