Due to the way the term was spoken in the song, some listeners may have mistakenly perceived a derogatory racial slur. Almost soon after the September ad aired, it started to spread like a viral meme. But after two months, Apple has taken action by completely deleting the vocals from the music of the advertisement. Here is the advertisement’s original YouTube version for comparison’s sake from Apple Australia:
“It’s the biggest bounce of the summer.” according to the original lyrics, which went something like “Biggest, biggest, biggest, biggest, biggest.” This was unmistakably a reference to the unveiling of the larger screen, 6.7-inch iPhone 14 Plus, which was the “biggest” launch of a new iPhone to yet. Without context, however, individuals could instead hear the n-word due to the music and the uttered sounds of “biggest.” There are no vocals at all if you view the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus launch advertisement right now on YouTube. Instead, the entire length of the video is accompanied by the instrumental backing music. This was evidently done to avoid the unintentional word confusion that many people noticed, even though it doesn’t exactly suit the beats of the scenes in the advertisement anymore. Although only the backdrop track is audible, Apple nevertheless lists the Elba song in the video’s description. In September, Apple debuted the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus. Apple showcased the “Big and Bigger” commercial at the launch event before posting it to YouTube shortly after. Apple’s iPhone 14 Pro series is in high demand, but the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus aren’t doing as well even after the hype raised by the company. According to reports, the business last month increased orders for the iPhone 14 Pro while decreasing iPhone 14 Plus production by around 40%.
