Rival tech companies haven’t been shy when it comes to Apple attack ads, but one Chinese company has definitely crossed the line in a promotion for its forthcoming Android smartphone. LeTV has posted to Weibo a poster likening Apple to Nazis, a red Apple armband replacing the Nazi logo.
The underlying message is supposed to compare the claimed freedom of the Android platform with the carefully controlled iOS one, but it’s hard to imagine a more offensive way to try to communicate it.
The image appeared on the verified Weibo account of billionaire CEO of LeTV, Jia Yueting, and was first spotted by The Verge.
Update: Jia Yueting has since apologized, telling us: “I am deeply sorry for publishing the animation ad on Weibo on Friday. In hindsight, it was a misstep and I have amended it. It was insensitive and wrong to try to use such an image in a lighthearted way.”
