Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)	12 Months Ended
Oct. 28, 2012
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Principles of Consolidation and Basis of Presentation	Principles of Consolidation and Basis of Presentation The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Applied Materials, Inc. and its subsidiaries (Applied or the Company) after elimination of intercompany balances and transactions. All references to a fiscal year apply to Applied’s fiscal year which ends on the last Sunday in October. Fiscal 2012 and 2011 contained 52 weeks each, while fiscal 2010 contained 53 weeks. Each fiscal quarter of 2012 and 2011 contained 13 weeks. The first quarter of fiscal 2010 contained 14 weeks, while the second, third, and fourth quarters of fiscal 2010 each contained 13 weeks. In November 2011, Applied completed its acquisition of Varian Semiconductor Equipment Associates, Inc. (Varian). Beginning in the first quarter of fiscal 2012, the acquired business is included in Applied's consolidated results of operations and the results of the Silicon Systems Group and Applied Global Services segments.
Use of Estimates	Use of Estimates The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires management to make judgments, estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the financial statements and accompanying notes. Actual results could differ materially from those estimates. On an ongoing basis, Applied evaluates its estimates, including those related to accounts receivable and sales allowances, fair values of financial instruments, inventories, intangible assets and goodwill, useful lives of intangible assets and property and equipment, fair values of share-based awards, and income taxes, among others. Applied bases its estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that are believed to be reasonable, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities.
Cash Equivalents	Cash Equivalents All highly-liquid investments with a remaining maturity of three months or less at the time of purchase are considered to be cash equivalents. Cash equivalents consist primarily of investments in institutional money market funds.
Investments	Investments All of Applied’s investments, except equity investments held in privately-held companies, are classified as available-for-sale at the respective balance sheet dates. Investments classified as available-for-sale are recorded at fair value based upon quoted market prices, and any temporary difference between the cost and fair value of an investment is presented as a separate component of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss). The specific identification method is used to determine the gains and losses on investments. Equity investments in privately-held companies are generally accounted for under the cost method of accounting and are periodically assessed for other-than-temporary impairment when an event or circumstance indicates that an other-than-temporary decline in value may have occurred.
Allowances for Doubtful Accounts	Allowance for Doubtful Accounts Applied maintains an allowance for doubtful accounts for estimated losses resulting from the inability of its customers to make required payments. This allowance is based on historical experience, credit evaluations, specific customer collection history and any customer-specific issues Applied has identified. Changes in circumstances, such as an unexpected material adverse change in a major customer’s ability to meet its financial obligation to Applied or its payment trends, may require Applied to further adjust its estimates of the recoverability of amounts due to Applied.
Inventories	Inventories Inventories are stated at the lower of cost or market, with cost determined on a first-in, first-out (FIFO) basis. Applied adjusts inventory carrying value for estimated obsolescence equal to the difference between the cost of inventory and the estimated market value based upon assumptions about future demand and market conditions. Applied fully reserves for inventories and noncancelable purchase orders for inventory deemed obsolete. Applied performs periodic reviews of inventory items to identify excess inventories on hand by comparing on-hand balances to anticipated usage using recent historical activity as well as anticipated or forecasted demand. If estimates of customer demand diminish further or market conditions become less favorable than those projected by Applied, additional inventory adjustments may be required.
Property, Plant and Equipment	Property, Plant and Equipment Property, plant and equipment is stated at cost. Depreciation is provided over the estimated useful lives of the assets using the straight-line method. Estimated useful lives for financial reporting purposes are as follows: buildings and improvements, 3 to 30 years; demonstration and manufacturing equipment, 3 to 5 years; software, 3 to 5 years; and furniture, fixtures and other equipment, 3 to 15 years. Land improvements are amortized over the shorter of 15 years or the estimated useful life. Leasehold improvements are amortized over the shorter of five years or the lease term.
Intangible Assets	Intangible Assets Goodwill and indefinite-lived assets are not amortized, but are reviewed for impairment annually during the fourth quarter of each fiscal year. Purchased technology and other intangible assets are presented at cost, net of accumulated amortization, and are amortized over their estimated useful lives of 1 to 15 years using the straight-line method.
Long-Lived Assets	Long-Lived Assets Applied reviews long-lived assets for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of these assets may not be recoverable. Applied assesses these assets for impairment based on estimated future cash flows from these assets.
Research, Development and Engineering Costs	Research, Development and Engineering Costs Research, development and engineering costs are expensed as incurred.
Sales and Value Added Taxes	Sales and Value Added Taxes Taxes collected from customers and remitted to governmental authorities are presented on a net basis in the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Operations.
Warranty	Warranty Applied provides for the estimated cost of warranty when revenue is recognized. Estimated warranty costs are determined by analyzing specific product, current and historical configuration statistics and regional warranty support costs. Applied's warranty obligation is affected by product and component failure rates, material usage and labor costs incurred in correcting product failures during the warranty period. If actual warranty costs differ substantially from Applied's estimates, revisions to the estimated warranty liability would be required.
Income Taxes	Income Taxes Income tax expense is based on pretax earnings. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the expected tax consequences of temporary differences between the book and tax bases of recorded assets and liabilities, net operating losses and tax credit carryforwards.
Restructuring	Restructuring From time to time, Applied initiates restructuring activities to appropriately align its cost structure relative to prevailing economic and industry conditions and associated customer demand as well as in connection with certain acquisitions. Costs associated with restructuring actions can include termination benefits and related charges in addition to facility closure, contract termination and other related activities. Costs associated with restructuring activities are included in restructuring charges and asset impairments in the Consolidated Statements of Operations.
Revenue Recognition	Revenue Recognition Applied recognizes revenue when all four revenue recognition criteria have been met: persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists; delivery has occurred or services have been rendered; seller’s price to buyer is fixed or determinable; and collectability is probable. Applied’s shipping terms are customarily FOB Applied shipping point or equivalent terms. Applied’s revenue recognition policy generally results in revenue recognition at the following points: (1) for all transactions where legal title passes to the customer upon shipment, Applied recognizes revenue upon shipment for all products that have been demonstrated to meet product specifications prior to shipment; the portion of revenue associated with certain installation-related tasks is deferred, and that revenue is recognized upon completion of the installation-related tasks; (2) for products that have not been demonstrated to meet product specifications prior to shipment, revenue is recognized at customer technical acceptance; (3) for transactions where legal title does not pass at shipment, revenue is recognized when legal title passes to the customer, which is generally at customer technical acceptance; and (4) for arrangements containing multiple elements, the revenue relating to the undelivered elements is deferred using the relative selling price method utilizing estimated sales prices until delivery of the deferred elements. Applied limits the amount of revenue recognition for delivered elements to the amount that is not contingent on the future delivery of products or services, future performance obligations or subject to customer-specified return or adjustment. In cases where Applied has sold products that have been demonstrated to meet product specifications prior to shipment, Applied believes that at the time of delivery, it has an enforceable claim to amounts recognized as revenue. Spare parts revenue is generally recognized upon shipment, and services revenue is generally recognized over the period that the services are provided. When a sales arrangement contains multiple elements, such as hardware and services and/or software products, Applied allocates revenue to each element based on a selling price hierarchy. The selling price for a deliverable is based on its vendor specific objective evidence (VSOE) if available, third party evidence (TPE) if VSOE is not available, or estimated selling price (ESP) if neither VSOE nor TPE is available. Applied generally utilizes the ESP due to the nature of its products. In multiple element arrangements where more-than-incidental software deliverables are included, revenue is allocated to each separate unit of accounting for each of the non-software deliverables and to the software deliverables as a group using the relative selling prices of each of the deliverables in the arrangement based on the aforementioned selling price hierarchy. If the arrangement contains more than one software deliverable, the arrangement consideration allocated to the software deliverables as a group is then allocated to each software deliverable using the guidance for recognizing software revenue.
Derivative Financial Instruments	Derivative Financial Instruments Applied uses financial instruments, such as forward exchange and currency option contracts, to hedge a portion of, but not all, existing and anticipated foreign currency denominated transactions typically expected to occur within 24 months. The terms of currency instruments used for hedging purposes are generally consistent with the timing of the transactions being hedged. The purpose of Applied’s foreign currency management is to mitigate the effect of exchange rate fluctuations on certain foreign currency denominated revenues, costs and eventual cash flows. All of Applied’s derivative financial instruments are recorded at fair value based upon quoted market prices for comparable instruments. For derivative instruments designated and qualifying as cash flow hedges of anticipated foreign currency denominated transactions, the effective portion of the gain or loss on these hedges is reported as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) in stockholders’ equity, and is reclassified into earnings when the hedged transaction affects earnings. If the transaction being hedged fails to occur, or if a portion of any derivative is ineffective, the gain or loss on the associated financial instrument is recorded promptly in earnings. For derivative instruments used to hedge existing foreign currency denominated assets or liabilities, the gain or loss on these hedges is recorded promptly in earnings to offset the changes in the fair value of the assets or liabilities being hedged. Applied does not use derivative financial instruments for trading or speculative purposes.
Foreign Currency Translation	Foreign Currencies As of October 28, 2012, primarily all of Applied’s subsidiaries use the United States dollar as their functional currency. Accordingly, assets and liabilities of these subsidiaries are remeasured using exchange rates in effect at the end of the period, except for non-monetary assets, such as inventories and property, plant and equipment, which are remeasured using historical exchange rates. Foreign currency-denominated revenues and costs are remeasured using average exchange rates for the period, except for costs related to those balance sheet items that are remeasured using historical exchange rates. The resulting remeasurement gains and losses are included in the Consolidated Statements of Operations as incurred.
Concentrations of Credit Risk	Concentrations of Credit Risk Financial instruments that potentially subject Applied to significant concentrations of credit risk consist principally of cash equivalents, investments, trade accounts receivable and derivative financial instruments used in hedging activities. Applied invests in a variety of financial instruments, such as, but not limited to, certificates of deposit, corporate and municipal bonds, United States Treasury and agency securities, and asset-backed and mortgage-backed securities, and, by policy, limits the amount of credit exposure with any one financial institution or commercial issuer. Applied performs ongoing credit evaluations of its customers’ financial condition and generally requires no collateral to secure accounts receivable. Applied maintains an allowance reserve for potentially uncollectible accounts receivable based on its assessment of the collectability of accounts receivable. Applied regularly reviews the allowance by considering factors such as historical experience, credit quality, age of the accounts receivable balances, and current economic conditions that may affect a customer’s ability to pay. In addition, Applied utilizes letters of credit to mitigate credit risk when considered appropriate. Applied is exposed to credit-related losses in the event of nonperformance by counterparties to derivative financial instruments, but does not expect any counterparties to fail to meet their obligations.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements	Recent Accounting Pronouncements In June 2011, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued authoritative guidance on the presentation of comprehensive income to require an entity to present the total of comprehensive income, the components of net income, and the components of other comprehensive income either in a single continuous statement of comprehensive income or in two separate but consecutive statements. The authoritative guidance also required presentation of adjustments for items that are reclassified from other comprehensive income in the statement where the components of net income and the components of other compressive income are presented, which was indefinitely deferred by the FASB in December 2011. Applied early adopted this authoritative guidance in fiscal 2012. The implementation of this authoritative guidance did not have an impact on Applied’s financial position or results of operations. In July 2012, the FASB amended its existing guidance for goodwill and other intangible assets. This authoritative guidance gives companies the option to first perform a qualitative assessment to determine whether it is more likely than not that an indefinite-lived intangible asset is impaired. To perform a qualitative assessment, a company must identify and evaluate changes in economic, industry and company-specific events and circumstances that could affect the significant inputs used to determine the fair value of an indefinite-lived intangible asset. If a company determines that it is more likely than not that the fair value of such an asset exceeds its carrying amount, it would not need to calculate the fair value of the asset in that year. This authoritative guidance becomes effective for Applied in the first quarter of fiscal 2013, with early adoption permitted. The implementation of this authoritative guidance is not expected to have a material impact on Applied's financial position or results of operations.

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)

12 Months Ended

Oct. 28, 2012

Principles of Consolidation and Basis of Presentation

The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Applied Materials, Inc. and its subsidiaries (Applied or the Company) after elimination of intercompany balances and transactions. All references to a fiscal year apply to Applied’s fiscal year which ends on the last Sunday in October. Fiscal 2012 and 2011 contained 52 weeks each, while fiscal 2010 contained 53 weeks. Each fiscal quarter of 2012 and 2011 contained 13 weeks. The first quarter of fiscal 2010 contained 14 weeks, while the second, third, and fourth quarters of fiscal 2010 each contained 13 weeks.

In November 2011, Applied completed its acquisition of Varian Semiconductor Equipment Associates, Inc. (Varian). Beginning in the first quarter of fiscal 2012, the acquired business is included in Applied's consolidated results of operations and the results of the Silicon Systems Group and Applied Global Services segments.

Use of Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires management to make judgments, estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the financial statements and accompanying notes. Actual results could differ materially from those estimates. On an ongoing basis, Applied evaluates its estimates, including those related to accounts receivable and sales allowances, fair values of financial instruments, inventories, intangible assets and goodwill, useful lives of intangible assets and property and equipment, fair values of share-based awards, and income taxes, among others. Applied bases its estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that are believed to be reasonable, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities.

Cash Equivalents

All highly-liquid investments with a remaining maturity of three months or less at the time of purchase are considered to be cash equivalents. Cash equivalents consist primarily of investments in institutional money market funds.

Investments

All of Applied’s investments, except equity investments held in privately-held companies, are classified as available-for-sale at the respective balance sheet dates. Investments classified as available-for-sale are recorded at fair value based upon quoted market prices, and any temporary difference between the cost and fair value of an investment is presented as a separate component of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss). The specific identification method is used to determine the gains and losses on investments.

Equity investments in privately-held companies are generally accounted for under the cost method of accounting and are periodically assessed for other-than-temporary impairment when an event or circumstance indicates that an other-than-temporary decline in value may have occurred.

Allowances for Doubtful Accounts

Allowance for Doubtful Accounts

Applied maintains an allowance for doubtful accounts for estimated losses resulting from the inability of its customers to make required payments. This allowance is based on historical experience, credit evaluations, specific customer collection history and any customer-specific issues Applied has identified. Changes in circumstances, such as an unexpected material adverse change in a major customer’s ability to meet its financial obligation to Applied or its payment trends, may require Applied to further adjust its estimates of the recoverability of amounts due to Applied.

Inventories

Inventories are stated at the lower of cost or market, with cost determined on a first-in, first-out (FIFO) basis. Applied adjusts inventory carrying value for estimated obsolescence equal to the difference between the cost of inventory and the estimated market value based upon assumptions about future demand and market conditions. Applied fully reserves for inventories and noncancelable purchase orders for inventory deemed obsolete. Applied performs periodic reviews of inventory items to identify excess inventories on hand by comparing on-hand balances to anticipated usage using recent historical activity as well as anticipated or forecasted demand. If estimates of customer demand diminish further or market conditions become less favorable than those projected by Applied, additional inventory adjustments may be required.

Property, Plant and Equipment

Property, plant and equipment is stated at cost. Depreciation is provided over the estimated useful lives of the assets using the straight-line method. Estimated useful lives for financial reporting purposes are as follows: buildings and improvements, 3 to 30 years; demonstration and manufacturing equipment, 3 to 5 years; software, 3 to 5 years; and furniture, fixtures and other equipment, 3 to 15 years. Land improvements are amortized over the shorter of 15 years or the estimated useful life. Leasehold improvements are amortized over the shorter of five years or the lease term.

Intangible Assets

Goodwill and indefinite-lived assets are not amortized, but are reviewed for impairment annually during the fourth quarter of each fiscal year. Purchased technology and other intangible assets are presented at cost, net of accumulated amortization, and are amortized over their estimated useful lives of 1 to 15 years using the straight-line method.

Long-Lived Assets

Applied reviews long-lived assets for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of these assets may not be recoverable. Applied assesses these assets for impairment based on estimated future cash flows from these assets.

Research, Development and Engineering Costs

Research, development and engineering costs are expensed as incurred.

Sales and Value Added Taxes

Taxes collected from customers and remitted to governmental authorities are presented on a net basis in the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Operations.

Warranty

Applied provides for the estimated cost of warranty when revenue is recognized. Estimated warranty costs are determined by analyzing specific product, current and historical configuration statistics and regional warranty support costs. Applied's warranty obligation is affected by product and component failure rates, material usage and labor costs incurred in correcting product failures during the warranty period. If actual warranty costs differ substantially from Applied's estimates, revisions to the estimated warranty liability would be required.

Income Taxes

Income tax expense is based on pretax earnings. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the expected tax consequences of temporary differences between the book and tax bases of recorded assets and liabilities, net operating losses and tax credit carryforwards.

Restructuring

From time to time, Applied initiates restructuring activities to appropriately align its cost structure relative to prevailing economic and industry conditions and associated customer demand as well as in connection with certain acquisitions. Costs associated with restructuring actions can include termination benefits and related charges in addition to facility closure, contract termination and other related activities. Costs associated with restructuring activities are included in restructuring charges and asset impairments in the Consolidated Statements of Operations.

Revenue Recognition

Applied recognizes revenue when all four revenue recognition criteria have been met: persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists; delivery has occurred or services have been rendered; seller’s price to buyer is fixed or determinable; and collectability is probable. Applied’s shipping terms are customarily FOB Applied shipping point or equivalent terms. Applied’s revenue recognition policy generally results in revenue recognition at the following points: (1) for all transactions where legal title passes to the customer upon shipment, Applied recognizes revenue upon shipment for all products that have been demonstrated to meet product specifications prior to shipment; the portion of revenue associated with certain installation-related tasks is deferred, and that revenue is recognized upon completion of the installation-related tasks; (2) for products that have not been demonstrated to meet product specifications prior to shipment, revenue is recognized at customer technical acceptance; (3) for transactions where legal title does not pass at shipment, revenue is recognized when legal title passes to the customer, which is generally at customer technical acceptance; and (4) for arrangements containing multiple elements, the revenue relating to the undelivered elements is deferred using the relative selling price method utilizing estimated sales prices until delivery of the deferred elements. Applied limits the amount of revenue recognition for delivered elements to the amount that is not contingent on the future delivery of products or services, future performance obligations or subject to customer-specified return or adjustment. In cases where Applied has sold products that have been demonstrated to meet product specifications prior to shipment, Applied believes that at the time of delivery, it has an enforceable claim to amounts recognized as revenue. Spare parts revenue is generally recognized upon shipment, and services revenue is generally recognized over the period that the services are provided.

When a sales arrangement contains multiple elements, such as hardware and services and/or software products, Applied allocates revenue to each element based on a selling price hierarchy. The selling price for a deliverable is based on its vendor specific objective evidence (VSOE) if available, third party evidence (TPE) if VSOE is not available, or estimated selling price (ESP) if neither VSOE nor TPE is available. Applied generally utilizes the ESP due to the nature of its products. In multiple element arrangements where more-than-incidental software deliverables are included, revenue is allocated to each separate unit of accounting for each of the non-software deliverables and to the software deliverables as a group using the relative selling prices of each of the deliverables in the arrangement based on the aforementioned selling price hierarchy. If the arrangement contains more than one software deliverable, the arrangement consideration allocated to the software deliverables as a group is then allocated to each software deliverable using the guidance for recognizing software revenue.

Derivative Financial Instruments

Applied uses financial instruments, such as forward exchange and currency option contracts, to hedge a portion of, but not all, existing and anticipated foreign currency denominated transactions typically expected to occur within 24 months. The terms of currency instruments used for hedging purposes are generally consistent with the timing of the transactions being hedged. The purpose of Applied’s foreign currency management is to mitigate the effect of exchange rate fluctuations on certain foreign currency denominated revenues, costs and eventual cash flows. All of Applied’s derivative financial instruments are recorded at fair value based upon quoted market prices for comparable instruments. For derivative instruments designated and qualifying as cash flow hedges of anticipated foreign currency denominated transactions, the effective portion of the gain or loss on these hedges is reported as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) in stockholders’ equity, and is reclassified into earnings when the hedged transaction affects earnings. If the transaction being hedged fails to occur, or if a portion of any derivative is ineffective, the gain or loss on the associated financial instrument is recorded promptly in earnings. For derivative instruments used to hedge existing foreign currency denominated assets or liabilities, the gain or loss on these hedges is recorded promptly in earnings to offset the changes in the fair value of the assets or liabilities being hedged. Applied does not use derivative financial instruments for trading or speculative purposes.

Foreign Currency Translation

Foreign Currencies

As of October 28, 2012, primarily all of Applied’s subsidiaries use the United States dollar as their functional currency. Accordingly, assets and liabilities of these subsidiaries are remeasured using exchange rates in effect at the end of the period, except for non-monetary assets, such as inventories and property, plant and equipment, which are remeasured using historical exchange rates. Foreign currency-denominated revenues and costs are remeasured using average exchange rates for the period, except for costs related to those balance sheet items that are remeasured using historical exchange rates. The resulting remeasurement gains and losses are included in the Consolidated Statements of Operations as incurred.

Concentrations of Credit Risk

Financial instruments that potentially subject Applied to significant concentrations of credit risk consist principally of cash equivalents, investments, trade accounts receivable and derivative financial instruments used in hedging activities. Applied invests in a variety of financial instruments, such as, but not limited to, certificates of deposit, corporate and municipal bonds, United States Treasury and agency securities, and asset-backed and mortgage-backed securities, and, by policy, limits the amount of credit exposure with any one financial institution or commercial issuer. Applied performs ongoing credit evaluations of its customers’ financial condition and generally requires no collateral to secure accounts receivable. Applied maintains an allowance reserve for potentially uncollectible accounts receivable based on its assessment of the collectability of accounts receivable. Applied regularly reviews the allowance by considering factors such as historical experience, credit quality, age of the accounts receivable balances, and current economic conditions that may affect a customer’s ability to pay. In addition, Applied utilizes letters of credit to mitigate credit risk when considered appropriate. Applied is exposed to credit-related losses in the event of nonperformance by counterparties to derivative financial instruments, but does not expect any counterparties to fail to meet their obligations.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

In June 2011, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued authoritative guidance on the presentation of comprehensive income to require an entity to present the total of comprehensive income, the components of net income, and the components of other comprehensive income either in a single continuous statement of comprehensive income or in two separate but consecutive statements. The authoritative guidance also required presentation of adjustments for items that are reclassified from other comprehensive income in the statement where the components of net income and the components of other compressive income are presented, which was indefinitely deferred by the FASB in December 2011. Applied early adopted this authoritative guidance in fiscal 2012. The implementation of this authoritative guidance did not have an impact on Applied’s financial position or results of operations.

In July 2012, the FASB amended its existing guidance for goodwill and other intangible assets. This authoritative guidance gives companies the option to first perform a qualitative assessment to determine whether it is more likely than not that an indefinite-lived intangible asset is impaired. To perform a qualitative assessment, a company must identify and evaluate changes in economic, industry and company-specific events and circumstances that could affect the significant inputs used to determine the fair value of an indefinite-lived intangible asset. If a company determines that it is more likely than not that the fair value of such an asset exceeds its carrying amount, it would not need to calculate the fair value of the asset in that year. This authoritative guidance becomes effective for Applied in the first quarter of fiscal 2013, with early adoption permitted. The implementation of this authoritative guidance is not expected to have a material impact on Applied's financial position or results of operations.