And the rainbow-colored apple that's been the company's trademark for years was whittled down to a creepy grinning skull. The image of the Dalai Lama on the billboard remained unharmed.
Apple (AAPL) said it will fix the billboard -- located along U.S. Highway 101 in San Carlos, Calif. -- after a slew of morning commuters alerted the company to the vandalism.
No one has claimed responsibility for the attack, which an Apple spokeswoman said was the first such incident of which she was aware. She said the billboard would be repaired on Wednesday.
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The act comes the day after Apple promised a comeback in the consumer market and International Data Corp. reported a slight climb in Apple's first-quarter market share to 4 percent, from 3.6 percent a year ago.
The Dalai Lama has been a controversial part of the Apple's new advertising campaign, which features the words "Think Different" on billboards, buildings and bus stops, along with images of such icons as Einstein, Muhammad Ali and Picasso.
Apple has decided not to use the Dalai Lama in its marketing campaign in Hong Kong because it fears the Tibetan leader's image would offend the Chinese government. The Dalai Lama won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989 for, among other things, fighting against Chinese oppression in Tibet.
