In an effort to promote just how helpful the average Apple Genius can be, the maker of iGadgets has launched three new commercials, debuting before a worldwide audience on the same day London 2012 Olympics kicked off. While the commercials are certainly entertaining, they stirred mixed reactions and a bit of a faux pas, making the average Apple customer seem rather silly.

Apple's new advertisements are designed to emphasize the superior intelligence of the young Apple employees working at the Apple Genius bar within retail locations. Two of the ads, however, portray Mac owners in a not so favorable light.

The two men in the first two advertisements, for instance, are portrayed in a funny, yet fairly common situation: trying to remember important events regarding their better half. One ad features a panicked man who forgot about his wife's anniversary, but remembers eventually and tries to create a movie for the event just 27 minutes before his plane was supposed to land. Meanwhile, the "Labor Day" ad shows a man walking into an Apple store just as his wife is in labor, but the man is more interested in learning how to announce the event on iPhoto rather than taking his wife to the hospital. The third commercial features a consumer "that lacks the intelligence to research the difference between an Apple computer and any other brand of computer," as DigitalTrends notes, "but finally understands after the Apple genius shows him the error of his purchase."

The ads are entertaining and humorous nonetheless, but not all reactions were positive, to say the least. As Business Insider's Jay Yarrow points out, reactions to Apple's new commercials range from "not a fan" to "dreadful" to "terrible." Yarrow notes the ads are fine from his point of view, "but I am clearly in the minority on this one."

The new Apple Genius ads could mark just the beginning of a massive campaign focused on the Genius bar, perhaps establishing another iconic brand spokesperson for Apple. A very popular Apple ad campaign, for instance, featured the older Mac versus PC ads with Justin Long and John Hodgman. That campaign was recreated for the British market as well, featuring David Mitchell and Robert Webb.

Taking a look at previous and current commercials, one thing is for sure: all of Apple's ads are designed to point out two things. First of all, they bolster the image of Apple employees as highly intelligent, knowledgeable people who can help consumers understand their computers and gadgets. Second, the ads position Apple's Mac ahead of all those Ultrabooks that aim to deliver the thin and light characteristics of the MacBook Air. In all the commercials, Apple saves the day, and the customer realizes what a great choice he's made trusting Apple. Or is it?