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Commitments and Contingencies | 3 Months Ended
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Dec. 29, 2018
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract] |
Commitments and Contingencies | Commitments and Contingencies Accrued Warranty and Indemnification The following table shows changes in the Company’s accrued warranties and related costs for the three months ended December 29, 2018 and December 30, 2017 (in millions):
| Three Months Ended
| December 29, 2018 |  | December 30, 2017
Beginning accrued warranty and related costs | $ | 3,692 |  |  | $ | 3,834 |
Cost of warranty claims | (996 | ) |  | (982 | )
Accruals for product warranty | 1,123 |  |  | 1,471 |
Ending accrued warranty and related costs | $ | 3,819 |  |  | $ | 4,323 |
Agreements entered into by the Company may include indemnification provisions, which may subject the Company to costs and damages in the event of a claim against an indemnified third party. Except as disclosed under the heading “Contingencies” below, in the opinion of management, there was not at least a reasonable possibility the Company may have incurred a material loss, or a material loss in excess of a recorded accrual, with respect to indemnification of third parties. The Company offers an iPhone Upgrade Program, which is available to customers who purchase a qualifying iPhone in the U.S., the U.K. and mainland China. The iPhone Upgrade Program provides customers the right to trade in that iPhone for a specified amount when purchasing a new iPhone, provided certain conditions are met. The Company accounts for the trade-in right as a guarantee liability and recognizes arrangement revenue net of the fair value of such right, with subsequent changes to the guarantee liability recognized within net sales. The Company has entered into indemnification agreements with its directors and executive officers. Under these agreements, the Company has agreed to indemnify such individuals to the fullest extent permitted by law against liabilities that arise by reason of their status as directors or officers of the Company, and to advance expenses incurred by such individuals in connection with related legal proceedings. It is not possible to determine the maximum potential amount of payments the Company could be required to make under these agreements due to the limited history of prior indemnification claims and the unique facts and circumstances involved in each claim. While the Company maintains directors and officers liability insurance coverage, such insurance coverage may be insufficient to cover all losses or all types of claims that may arise. Concentrations in the Available Sources of Supply of Materials and Product Although most components essential to the Company’s business are generally available from multiple sources, certain components are currently obtained from single or limited sources. In addition, the Company competes for various components with other participants in the markets for mobile communication and media devices and personal computers. Therefore, many components used by the Company, including those that are available from multiple sources, are at times subject to industry-wide shortage and significant commodity pricing fluctuations that could materially adversely affect the Company’s financial condition and operating results. The Company uses some custom components that are not commonly used by its competitors, and new products introduced by the Company often utilize custom components available from only one source. When a component or product uses new technologies, initial capacity constraints may exist until the suppliers’ yields have matured or manufacturing capacity has increased. If the Company’s supply of components for a new or existing product were delayed or constrained, or if an outsourcing partner delayed shipments of completed products to the Company, the Company’s financial condition and operating results could be materially adversely affected. The Company’s business and financial performance could also be materially adversely affected depending on the time required to obtain sufficient quantities from the original source, or to identify and obtain sufficient quantities from an alternative source. Continued availability of these components at acceptable prices, or at all, may be affected if suppliers decide to concentrate on the production of common components instead of components customized to meet the Company’s requirements. The Company has entered into agreements for the supply of many components; however, there can be no guarantee that the Company will be able to extend or renew these agreements on similar terms, or at all. Therefore, the Company remains subject to significant risks of supply shortages and price increases that could materially adversely affect its financial condition and operating results. Substantially all of the Company’s hardware products are manufactured by outsourcing partners that are located primarily in Asia, with some Mac computers manufactured in the U.S. and Ireland. A significant concentration of this manufacturing is currently performed by a small number of outsourcing partners, often in single locations. Certain of these outsourcing partners are single-sourced suppliers of components and manufacturers for many of the Company’s products. Although the Company works closely with its outsourcing partners on manufacturing schedules, the Company’s financial condition and operating results could be materially adversely affected if its outsourcing partners were unable to meet their production commitments. The Company’s manufacturing purchase obligations typically cover its requirements for periods up to 150 days. Other Off–Balance Sheet Commitments Operating Leases The Company leases various equipment and facilities, including retail space, under noncancelable operating lease arrangements. The Company does not currently utilize any other off–balance sheet financing arrangements. As of December 29, 2018, the Company’s total future minimum lease payments under noncancelable operating leases were $9.9 billion. The Company’s retail store and other facility leases typically have original terms not exceeding 10 years and generally contain multi-year renewal options. Unconditional Purchase Obligations The Company has entered into certain off–balance sheet commitments that require the future purchase of goods or services (“unconditional purchase obligations”). The Company’s unconditional purchase obligations primarily consist of payments for supplier arrangements, internet and telecommunication services, intellectual property licenses and content creation. As of December 29, 2018, the Company’s total future payments under noncancelable unconditional purchase obligations having a remaining term in excess of one year were $7.4 billion. Contingencies The Company is subject to various legal proceedings and claims that have arisen in the ordinary course of business and that have not been fully adjudicated, as further discussed in Part II, Item 1 of this Form 10-Q under the heading “Legal Proceedings” and in Part II, Item 1A of this Form 10-Q under the heading “Risk Factors.” The outcome of litigation is inherently uncertain. If one or more legal matters were resolved against the Company in a reporting period for amounts in excess of management’s expectations, the Company’s financial condition and operating results for that reporting period could be materially adversely affected. In the opinion of management, there was not at least a reasonable possibility the Company may have incurred a material loss, or a material loss in excess of a recorded accrual, with respect to loss contingencies for asserted legal and other claims, except for the following matters: VirnetX VirnetX, Inc. filed two lawsuits in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas (the “Eastern Texas District Court”) against the Company alleging that certain Company products infringe four patents (the “VirnetX Patents”) relating to network communications technology (“VirnetX I” and “VirnetX II”). On September 30, 2016, a jury returned a verdict in VirnetX I against the Company and awarded damages of $302 million, which later increased to $440 million in post-trial proceedings. The Company appealed the VirnetX I verdict to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (the “Federal Circuit”). On April 11, 2018, a jury returned a verdict in VirnetX II against the Company and awarded damages of $503 million. VirnetX II is currently on appeal. The Company has challenged the validity of the VirnetX Patents at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (the “PTO”). In response, the PTO has declared the VirnetX Patents invalid. VirnetX appealed the invalidity decision of the PTO to the Federal Circuit. The Federal Circuit consolidated the Company’s appeal of the Eastern Texas District Court VirnetX I verdict and VirnetX’s appeals from the PTO invalidity proceedings. On January 15, 2019, the Federal Circuit affirmed the VirnetX I verdict, which the Company intends to further appeal. The remaining appeals from the PTO proceedings invalidating the VirnetX Patents remain pending. Qualcomm On January 20, 2017, the Company filed a lawsuit against Qualcomm Incorporated and affiliated parties (“Qualcomm”) in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California seeking, among other things, to enjoin Qualcomm from requiring the Company to pay royalties at the rate demanded by Qualcomm. As the Company does not believe the demanded royalty it has historically paid contract manufacturers for each applicable device is fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory, and believes it to be invalid and/or overstated in other respects as well, no Qualcomm-related royalty payments have been remitted by the Company to its contract manufacturers since the beginning of the second quarter of 2017. The Company believes it will prevail on the merits of the case and has accrued its best estimate for the ultimate resolution of this matter. Following the Company’s lawsuit, Qualcomm has filed patent infringement suits against the Company and its affiliates in the U.S. and various international jurisdictions, some of which seek to enjoin the sale of certain of the Company’s products in particular countries. In one matter pending in China, on November 30, 2018, a court issued an order enjoining the sale in China of certain iPhone models running iOS 10 or iOS 11. The Company has taken steps to comply with the order and has deployed a software update to address the functionality at issue. The Company has sought reconsideration and a declaration of compliance with the order and has appealed the decision. In another matter pending in Germany, on December 20, 2018, a court issued an order enjoining the sale in Germany by the Company and certain of its subsidiaries of iPhone 7, 7 Plus, 8, 8 Plus and X. The Company has taken steps to comply with the order and has appealed the decision. iOS Performance Management Cases Various civil litigation matters have been filed in state and federal courts in the U.S. and in various international jurisdictions alleging violation of consumer protection laws, fraud, computer intrusion and other causes of action related to the Company’s performance management feature used in its iPhone operating systems, introduced to certain iPhones in iOS updates 10.2.1 and 11.2. The claims seek monetary damages and other non-monetary relief. On April 5, 2018, several U.S. federal actions were consolidated through a Multidistrict Litigation process into a single action in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. In addition to civil litigation, the Company is also responding to governmental investigations and requests for information relating to the performance management feature. The Company believes that its iPhones were not defective, that the performance management feature introduced with iOS updates 10.2.1 and 11.2 was intended to, and did, improve customers’ user experience, and that the Company did not make any misleading statements or fail to disclose any material information. The Company has accrued its best estimate for the ultimate resolution of these matters.

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