"I don't want the company to be in the position of appearing to dismiss the deeply-held beliefs of any employee by picking sides on social policy issues," Ballmer wrote at the time.

As of press time, there has been no reports of dissent from Apple employees over the company's donation to No on 8. Apple has described its involvement with the ballot measure as a civil rights issue, not as a social one.

While Apple may see the California proposition as a civil rights issue, some longtime customers do not share that perspective. Former Mac User Group leader and longtime Mac user Allen Hall told Macworld that his commitment to Christianity was a reason why he'd no longer buy Apple products.

Jeff Bell, another long-time Apple customer, plans a similar boycott. "I have no problem with Steve Jobs giving the gay rights movement all of his money but to put Apple Inc. as the donor makes my blood boil," Bell told Macworld. "I don't want to have my hard earned money wasted on this cause that I do not believe in."

However, iRainmakers' Loden says the likelihood of a company suffering a serious business setback over its stance on one social issue is small. Usually, she says, consumers take a wider view based on a number of different issues. For example, a consumer may not care for a company's position on gay rights, but applaud its environmental efforts.