Apple updates iPhone 14 ad video after lyrics were confused for racial slur

Apple has updated the videos on social media, including YouTube, for the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus launch advertisement after the lyrics were mistaken for racial slurs.

Apple updates iPhone 14 ad video after lyrics were confused for racial slur
Source: IANS

San Francisco, Nov 28 (IANS) Apple has updated the videos on social media, including YouTube, for the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus launch advertisement after the lyrics were mistaken for racial slurs.

According to 9to5Mac, the original advertisement used a snippet of Idris Elba's Biggest song, with lyrics repeating the word "Biggest", in which the way the word was said in the song meant that some people heard an offensive racial slur instead.

Almost immediately after the ad aired in September, it became a viral meme. However, Apple responded two months later by removing the vocals from the ad's soundtrack entirely.

If one watches the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus launch ads on YouTube today, they will no longer hear any vocals, instead, only the instrumental backing track is played for the entire duration of the video, according to the report.

The video description still credits the Elba song, but all that can be heard is the backing track.

Originally, the lyrics were something like "Biggest, biggest, biggest, biggest, biggest, this is the biggest bounce of the summer".

The "Biggest" word was referring to the launch of the 6.7-inch iPhone 14 Plus, which is the company's biggest iPhone launch yet.

However, without context, the pronounced syllables of "Biggest" overlaid with the music caused people to hear the n-word, said the report.