Of course there's backlash against the album. It's because
1. It's fucking U2
2. It's fucking Bono
3. Apple just put that damn thing on my device without asking or warning me
4. It's fucking U2
Seriously, I understand the criticism about the way it's distributed. I thought from the beginning that this might backfire. I don't have Apple products, but I, too, wouldn't be too delighted if I would suddenly find an album in my library that I wouldn't have chosen myself, maybe by an artist that just isn't my cup of tea. The problem is that Bono says U2 want to "reach as many people as possible". While this whole thing is great for fans, I still think it can be seen either desperate and/or preposterous from Apple and U2 to simply give away the album to every iTunes customer. Unfortunately, this issue often overshadows the quality of the music. People bitch about U2 but don't really bother listening to their music.
Btw, got a lot of positive reviews from people on forums and on Twitter today. Many of them said they are surprised and hadn't expected U2 to make a good album. So not all hope is lost