The finding from U.K.-based YouGov also puts into context recent television ads that were loudly panned, with some critics calling them "rotten" and "gagging."

Apple ran the ads, which featured a Genius -- the name for the company's in-store technical support staff -- helping customers in high-pressure situations. The 30-second spots touted the Mac and appeared during the early days of NBC's broadcast of the 2012 Olympics. They were discontinued, reportedly as planned -- within several days.

In all three ads, the Genius was played by a 24-year-old comedian named .

The reaction among the Apple faithful was devastating.

"I honestly can't remember a single Apple campaign that's been received so poorly," said Ken Segall, whose LinkedIn profile says he worked as the creative director for ad firm Chiat/Day and on that firm's 1997-2002 "Think Different" campaign for Apple.