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Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)
12 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2023
Accounting Policies [Abstract]  
Basis of Presentation and Preparation
Basis of Presentation and Preparation
The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Apple Inc. and its wholly owned subsidiaries. The preparation of these consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes in conformity with GAAP requires the use of management estimates. Certain prior period amounts in the consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes have been reclassified to conform to the current period’s presentation.
Fiscal Period The Company’s fiscal year is the 52- or 53-week period that ends on the last Saturday of September. An additional week is included in the first fiscal quarter every five or six years to realign the Company’s fiscal quarters with calendar quarters, which occurred in the first fiscal quarter of 2023. The Company’s fiscal year 2023 spanned 53 weeks, whereas fiscal years 2022 and 2021 spanned 52 weeks each. Unless otherwise stated, references to particular years, quarters, months and periods refer to the Company’s fiscal years ended in September and the associated quarters, months and periods of those fiscal years.
Revenue
Revenue
The Company records revenue net of taxes collected from customers that are remitted to governmental authorities.
The Company recognizes revenue at the amount to which it expects to be entitled when control of the products or services is transferred to its customers. Control is generally transferred when the Company has a present right to payment and title and the significant risks and rewards of ownership of products or services are transferred to its customers. For most of the Company’s Products net sales, control transfers when products are shipped. For the Company’s Services net sales, control transfers over time as services are delivered. Payment for Products and Services net sales is collected within a short period following transfer of control or commencement of delivery of services, as applicable.
The Company records reductions to Products net sales related to future product returns, price protection and other customer incentive programs based on the Company’s expectations and historical experience.
For arrangements with multiple performance obligations, which represent promises within an arrangement that are distinct, the Company allocates revenue to all distinct performance obligations based on their relative stand-alone selling prices (“SSPs”). When available, the Company uses observable prices to determine SSPs. When observable prices are not available, SSPs are established that reflect the Company’s best estimates of what the selling prices of the performance obligations would be if they were sold regularly on a stand-alone basis. The Company’s process for estimating SSPs without observable prices considers multiple factors that may vary depending upon the unique facts and circumstances related to each performance obligation including, where applicable, prices charged by the Company for similar offerings, market trends in the pricing for similar offerings, product-specific business objectives and the estimated cost to provide the performance obligation.
The Company has identified up to three performance obligations regularly included in arrangements involving the sale of iPhone, Mac, iPad and certain other products. The first performance obligation, which represents the substantial portion of the allocated sales price, is the hardware and bundled software delivered at the time of sale. The second performance obligation is the right to receive certain product-related bundled services, which include iCloud®, Siri® and Maps. The third performance obligation is the right to receive, on a when-and-if-available basis, future unspecified software upgrades relating to the software bundled with each device. The Company allocates revenue and any related discounts to these performance obligations based on their relative SSPs. Because the Company lacks observable prices for the undelivered performance obligations, the allocation of revenue is based on the Company’s estimated SSPs. Revenue allocated to the delivered hardware and bundled software is recognized when control has transferred to the customer, which generally occurs when the product is shipped. Revenue allocated to the product-related bundled services and unspecified software upgrade rights is deferred and recognized on a straight-line basis over the estimated period they are expected to be provided.
For certain long-term service arrangements, the Company has performance obligations for services it has not yet delivered. For these arrangements, the Company does not have a right to bill for the undelivered services. The Company has determined that any unbilled consideration relates entirely to the value of the undelivered services. Accordingly, the Company has not recognized revenue, and does not disclose amounts, related to these undelivered services.
For the sale of third-party products where the Company obtains control of the product before transferring it to the customer, the Company recognizes revenue based on the gross amount billed to customers. The Company considers multiple factors when determining whether it obtains control of third-party products, including evaluating if it can establish the price of the product, retains inventory risk for tangible products or has the responsibility for ensuring acceptability of the product. For third-party applications sold through the App Store, the Company does not obtain control of the product before transferring it to the customer. Therefore, the Company accounts for all third-party application–related sales on a net basis by recognizing in Services net sales only the commission it retains.
Share-Based Compensation
Share-Based Compensation
The Company recognizes share-based compensation expense on a straight-line basis for its estimate of equity awards that will ultimately vest.
Cash Equivalents
Cash Equivalents
All highly liquid investments with maturities of three months or less at the date of purchase are treated as cash equivalents.
Marketable Securities
Marketable Securities
The cost of securities sold is determined using the specific identification method.
The Company’s investments in marketable debt securities have been classified and accounted for as available-for-sale. The Company classifies marketable debt securities as either current or non-current based solely on each instrument’s underlying contractual maturity date.
Inventories
Inventories
Inventories are measured using the first-in, first-out method.
Property, Plant and Equipment
Property, Plant and Equipment
Depreciation on property, plant and equipment is recognized on a straight-line basis.
Derivative Instruments
Derivative Instruments
The Company presents derivative assets and liabilities at their gross fair values in the Consolidated Balance Sheets.
The Company classifies cash flows related to derivative instruments in the same section of the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows as the items being hedged, which are generally classified as operating activities.
Income Taxes
Income Taxes
The Company records certain deferred tax assets and liabilities in connection with the minimum tax on certain foreign earnings created by the Act.
Leases
Leases
The Company combines and accounts for lease and nonlease components as a single lease component for leases of corporate, data center and retail facilities.
The discount rates related to the Company’s lease liabilities are generally based on estimates of the Company’s incremental borrowing rate, as the discount rates implicit in the Company’s leases cannot be readily determined.
Fair Value Measurements The valuation techniques used to measure the fair values of the Company’s Level 2 financial instruments, which generally have counterparties with high credit ratings, are based on quoted market prices or model-driven valuations using significant inputs derived from or corroborated by observable market data.
Segment Reporting
The Company manages its business primarily on a geographic basis. The Company’s reportable segments consist of the Americas, Europe, Greater China, Japan and Rest of Asia Pacific. Americas includes both North and South America. Europe includes European countries, as well as India, the Middle East and Africa. Greater China includes China mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Rest of Asia Pacific includes Australia and those Asian countries not included in the Company’s other reportable segments. Although the reportable segments provide similar hardware and software products and similar services, each one is managed separately to better align with the location of the Company’s customers and distribution partners and the unique market dynamics of each geographic region.
The Company evaluates the performance of its reportable segments based on net sales and operating income. Net sales for geographic segments are generally based on the location of customers and sales through the Company’s retail stores located in those geographic locations. Operating income for each segment consists of net sales to third parties, related cost of sales, and operating expenses directly attributable to the segment. The information provided to the Company’s chief operating decision maker for purposes of making decisions and assessing segment performance excludes asset information.