Apple Inc. (AAPL) Business

The Company designs, manufactures and markets smartphones, personal computers, tablets, wearables and accessories, and sells a variety of related services. The Company’s fiscal year is the 52- or 53-week period that ends on the last Saturday of September.

iPhone

iPhone® is the Company’s line of smartphones based on its iOS operating system. The iPhone line includes iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone Air™, iPhone 17, iPhone 16 and iPhone 16e.

Mac

Mac® is the Company’s line of personal computers based on its macOS® operating system. The Mac line includes laptops MacBook Air® and MacBook Pro®, as well as desktops iMac®, Mac mini®, Mac Studio® and Mac Pro®.

iPad

iPad® is the Company’s line of multipurpose tablets based on its iPadOS® operating system. The iPad line includes iPad Pro®, iPad Air®, iPad and iPad mini®.

Wearables, Home and Accessories

Wearables includes smartwatches, wireless headphones and spatial computers. The Company’s line of smartwatches, based on its watchOS® operating system, includes Apple Watch® Series 11, Apple Watch SE® 3 and Apple Watch Ultra® 3. The Company’s line of wireless headphones includes AirPods®, AirPods Pro®, AirPods Max® and Beats® products. Apple Vision Pro™ is the Company’s spatial computer based on its visionOS® operating system.

Home includes Apple TV 4K®, the Company’s media streaming and gaming device based on its tvOS® operating system, and HomePod® and HomePod mini®, high-fidelity wireless smart speakers.

Accessories includes Apple-branded and third-party accessories.

Advertising

The Company’s advertising services include third-party licensing arrangements and the Company’s own advertising platforms.

AppleCare

The Company offers a portfolio of fee-based service and support products under the AppleCare® brand. The offerings provide priority access to Apple technical support, access to the global Apple authorized service network for repair and replacement services, and in many cases additional coverage for instances of accidental damage or theft and loss, depending on the country and type of product.

Cloud Services

The Company’s cloud services store and keep customers’ content up-to-date and available across multiple Apple devices and Windows personal computers.

Digital Content

The Company operates various platforms, including the App Store®, that allow customers to discover and download applications and digital content, such as books, music, video, games and podcasts.

The Company also offers digital content through subscription-based services, including Apple Arcade®, a game service; Apple Fitness+®, a personalized fitness service; Apple Music®, which offers users a curated listening experience with on-demand radio stations; Apple News+®, a news and magazine service; and Apple TV®, which offers exclusive original content and live sports.

Payment Services

The Company offers payment services, including Apple Card®, a co-branded credit card, and Apple Pay®, a cashless payment service.

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, New Zealand 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’s customers are primarily in the consumer, small and mid-sized business, education, enterprise and government markets. The Company sells its products and resells third-party products in most of its major markets directly to customers through its retail and online stores and its direct sales force. The Company sells its services in the same markets through its various service platforms. The Company also employs a variety of indirect distribution channels, such as third-party cellular network carriers and other resellers, for the sale of its products and certain of its services. During 2025, the Company’s net sales through its direct and indirect distribution channels accounted for 40% and 60%, respectively, of total net sales.

The markets for the Company’s products and services are highly competitive and are characterized by aggressive price competition, downward pressure on gross margins, continual improvement in product performance, and price sensitivity on the part of consumers and businesses. The markets in which the Company competes are further defined by frequent introduction of new products and services, short product life cycles, evolving industry standards, and rapid adoption of technological advancements by competitors. Many of the Company’s competitors seek to compete primarily through aggressive pricing and very low cost structures, and by imitating the Company’s products and infringing on its intellectual property.

The Company’s ability to compete successfully depends heavily on ensuring the continuing and timely introduction of innovative new products, services and technologies to the marketplace. The Company designs and develops nearly the entire solution for its products, including the hardware, operating system, numerous software applications and related services. Principal competitive factors important to the Company include price, product and service features (including security features), relative price and performance, product and service quality and reliability, design and technology innovation, a strong third-party software and accessories ecosystem, marketing and distribution capability, service and support, corporate reputation, and the ability to effectively protect and enforce the Company’s intellectual property rights.

The Company is focused on expanding its market opportunities related to smartphones, personal computers, tablets, wearables and accessories, and services. The Company’s products and services face substantial competition from companies that have significant technical, marketing, distribution and other resources, as well as established hardware, software, and service offerings with large customer bases. In addition, the Company faces significant competition as competitors imitate the Company’s product features and applications within their products to offer more competitive solutions. The Company also expects competition to intensify as competitors imitate the Company’s approach to providing components seamlessly within their offerings or work collaboratively to offer integrated solutions. Some of the Company’s competitors have broad product lines, low-priced products, large installed bases of active devices, and large customer bases. Competition has been particularly intense as competitors have aggressively cut prices and lowered product margins. Certain competitors have the resources, experience or cost structures to provide products and services at little or no profit or even at a loss. The Company has a minority market share in the global smartphone, personal computer, tablet and wearables markets, and some of the markets in which the Company competes have from time to time experienced little to no growth or contracted overall.

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. The Company also competes for various components with other participants in the markets for smartphones, personal computers, tablets, wearables and accessories. 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. Restrictions on international trade can increase the cost or limit the availability of the Company’s products and the components and rare earths and other raw materials that go into them.

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 their manufacturing capacities have increased. The Company has entered into agreements for the supply of many components; however, the Company may not be able to extend or renew agreements for the supply of components on similar terms, or at all, and may not be successful in obtaining sufficient quantities from its suppliers or in a timely manner, or in identifying and obtaining sufficient quantities from an alternative source. In addition, component suppliers may fail, be subject to consolidation within a particular industry, or decide to concentrate on the production of common components instead of components customized to meet the Company’s requirements, further limiting the Company’s ability to obtain sufficient quantities of components on commercially reasonable terms, or at all.

Because the industries in which the Company competes are characterized by rapid technological advances, the Company’s ability to compete successfully depends heavily upon its ability to ensure a continual and timely flow of competitive products, services and technologies to the marketplace. The Company continues to develop new technologies to enhance existing products and services, and to expand the range of its offerings through research and development (“R&D”), licensing of intellectual property and acquisition of third-party businesses and technology.

The Company currently holds a broad collection of intellectual property rights relating to certain aspects of its hardware, software and services. This includes patents, designs, copyrights, trademarks, trade secrets and other forms of intellectual property rights in the U.S. and various foreign countries. Although the Company believes the ownership of such intellectual property rights is an important factor in differentiating its business and that its success does depend in part on such ownership, the Company relies primarily on the innovative skills, technical competence and marketing abilities of its personnel.

The Company regularly files patent, design, copyright and trademark applications to protect innovations arising from its hardware, software and service research, development, design and marketing, and is currently pursuing thousands of applications around the world. Over time, the Company has accumulated a large portfolio of issued and registered intellectual property rights around the world. No single intellectual property right is solely responsible for protecting the Company’s products and services. The Company believes the duration of its intellectual property rights is adequate relative to the expected lives of its products and services.

In addition to Company-owned intellectual property, many of the Company’s products and services include technology or intellectual property that must be licensed from third parties. It may be necessary in the future to seek or renew licenses relating to various aspects of the Company’s products, processes and services. While the Company has generally been able to obtain such licenses on commercially reasonable terms in the past, there is no guarantee that such licenses could be obtained in the future on reasonable terms or at all.

The Company has historically experienced higher net sales in its first quarter compared to other quarters in its fiscal year due in part to seasonal holiday demand. Additionally, new product and service introductions can significantly impact net sales, cost of sales and operating expenses. The timing of product introductions can also impact the Company’s net sales to its indirect distribution channels as these channels are filled with new inventory following a product launch, and channel inventory of an older product often declines as the launch of a newer product approaches. Net sales can also be affected when consumers and distributors anticipate a product introduction.

The Company believes that its people play an important role in its success, and strives to attract, develop and retain the best talent. The Company works to create a culture of collaboration, one where people with a broad range of backgrounds and perspectives can come together to innovate and do the best work of their lives. The Company is an equal opportunity employer committed to inclusion and to providing a workplace free of harassment or discrimination. As of September 27, 2025, the Company had approximately 166,000 full-time equivalent employees.

The Company believes that compensation should be competitive and equitable, and offers discretionary cash and equity awards to enable employees to share in the Company’s success. The Company recognizes its people are most likely to thrive when they have the resources to meet their needs and the time and support to succeed in their professional and personal lives. In support of this, the Company offers a wide variety of benefits for employees around the world, including health, wellness and time away.

The Company invests in resources to help its people develop and achieve their career goals. The Company offers programs through Apple University on leadership, management and influence, as well as Apple culture and values. Team members can also take advantage of online classes for business, technical and personal development.

The Company believes that open and honest communication among team members, managers and leaders helps create an open, collaborative work environment where everyone can contribute, grow and succeed. Team members are encouraged to come to their managers with questions, feedback or concerns, and the Company conducts surveys that gauge employee sentiment in areas like career development, manager performance and inclusion.

The Company is committed to the safety and security of its team members everywhere it operates. The Company supports employees with general safety, security and crisis management training, and by putting specific programs in place for those working in potentially high-hazard environments.

The Company’s Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to reports filed pursuant to Sections 13(a) and 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (“Exchange Act”), are filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). Such reports and other information filed by the Company with the SEC are available free of charge at investor.apple.com/investor-relations/sec-filings/default.aspx when such reports are available on the SEC’s website. The Company periodically provides certain information for investors on its corporate website, www.apple.com, and its investor relations website, investor.apple.com. This includes press releases and other information about financial performance, information on corporate governance, and details related to the Company’s annual meeting of shareholders. The information contained on the websites referenced in this Form 10-K is not incorporated by reference into this filing. Further, the Company’s references to website URLs are intended to be inactive textual references only.

The Company designs, manufactures and markets smartphones, personal computers, tablets, wearables and accessories, and sells a variety of related services. The Company’s fiscal year is the 52- or 53-week period that ends on the last Saturday of September.

iPhone

iPhone® is the Company’s line of smartphones based on its iOS operating system. The iPhone line includes iPhone 16 Pro, iPhone 16, iPhone 15, iPhone 14 and iPhone SE®.

Mac

Mac® is the Company’s line of personal computers based on its macOS® operating system. The Mac line includes laptops MacBook Air® and MacBook Pro®, as well as desktops iMac®, Mac mini®, Mac Studio® and Mac Pro®.

iPad

iPad® is the Company’s line of multipurpose tablets based on its iPadOS® operating system. The iPad line includes iPad Pro®, iPad Air®, iPad and iPad mini®.

Wearables, Home and Accessories

Wearables includes smartwatches, wireless headphones and spatial computers. The Company’s line of smartwatches, based on its watchOS® operating system, includes Apple Watch Ultra® 2, Apple Watch® Series 10 and Apple Watch SE®. The Company’s line of wireless headphones includes AirPods®, AirPods Pro®, AirPods Max® and Beats® products. Apple Vision Pro™ is the Company’s first spatial computer based on its visionOS™ operating system.

Home includes Apple TV®, the Company’s media streaming and gaming device based on its tvOS® operating system, and HomePod® and HomePod mini®, high-fidelity wireless smart speakers.

Accessories includes Apple-branded and third-party accessories.

Advertising

The Company’s advertising services include third-party licensing arrangements and the Company’s own advertising platforms.

AppleCare

The Company offers a portfolio of fee-based service and support products under the AppleCare® brand. The offerings provide priority access to Apple technical support, access to the global Apple authorized service network for repair and replacement services, and in many cases additional coverage for instances of accidental damage or theft and loss, depending on the country and type of product.

Cloud Services

The Company’s cloud services store and keep customers’ content up-to-date and available across multiple Apple devices and Windows personal computers.

Digital Content

The Company operates various platforms, including the App Store®, that allow customers to discover and download applications and digital content, such as books, music, video, games and podcasts.

The Company also offers digital content through subscription-based services, including Apple Arcade®, a game subscription service; Apple Fitness+SM, a personalized fitness service; Apple Music®, which offers users a curated listening experience with on-demand radio stations; Apple News+®, a subscription news and magazine service; and Apple TV+®, which offers exclusive original content and live sports.

Payment Services

The Company offers payment services, including Apple Card®, a co-branded credit card, and Apple Pay®, a cashless payment service.

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’s customers are primarily in the consumer, small and mid-sized business, education, enterprise and government markets. The Company sells its products and resells third-party products in most of its major markets directly to customers through its retail and online stores and its direct sales force. The Company also employs a variety of indirect distribution channels, such as third-party cellular network carriers, wholesalers, retailers and resellers. During 2024, the Company’s net sales through its direct and indirect distribution channels accounted for 38% and 62%, respectively, of total net sales.

The markets for the Company’s products and services are highly competitive, and are characterized by aggressive price competition and resulting downward pressure on gross margins, frequent introduction of new products and services, short product life cycles, evolving industry standards, continual improvement in product price and performance characteristics, rapid adoption of technological advancements by competitors, and price sensitivity on the part of consumers and businesses. Many of the Company’s competitors seek to compete primarily through aggressive pricing and very low cost structures, and by imitating the Company’s products and infringing on its intellectual property.

The Company’s ability to compete successfully depends heavily on ensuring the continuing and timely introduction of innovative new products, services and technologies to the marketplace. The Company designs and develops nearly the entire solution for its products, including the hardware, operating system, numerous software applications and related services. Principal competitive factors important to the Company include price, product and service features (including security features), relative price and performance, product and service quality and reliability, design innovation, a strong third-party software and accessories ecosystem, marketing and distribution capability, service and support, and corporate reputation.

The Company is focused on expanding its market opportunities related to smartphones, personal computers, tablets, wearables and accessories, and services. The Company faces substantial competition in these markets from companies that have significant technical, marketing, distribution and other resources, as well as established hardware, software, and service offerings with large customer bases. In addition, some of the Company’s competitors have broader product lines, lower-priced products and a larger installed base of active devices. Competition has been particularly intense as competitors have aggressively cut prices and lowered product margins. Certain competitors have the resources, experience or cost structures to provide products at little or no profit or even at a loss. The Company’s services compete with business models that provide content to users for free and use illegitimate means to obtain third-party digital content and applications. The Company faces significant competition as competitors imitate the Company’s product features and applications within their products, or collaborate to offer integrated solutions that are more competitive than those they currently offer.

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. The Company also competes for various components with other participants in the markets for smartphones, personal computers, tablets, wearables and accessories. 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.

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 their manufacturing capacities have increased. The 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.

Because the industries in which the Company competes are characterized by rapid technological advances, the Company’s ability to compete successfully depends heavily upon its ability to ensure a continual and timely flow of competitive products, services and technologies to the marketplace. The Company continues to develop new technologies to enhance existing products and services, and to expand the range of its offerings through research and development (“R&D”), licensing of intellectual property and acquisition of third-party businesses and technology.

The Company currently holds a broad collection of intellectual property rights relating to certain aspects of its hardware, accessories, software and services. This includes patents, designs, copyrights, trademarks, trade secrets and other forms of intellectual property rights in the U.S. and various foreign countries. Although the Company believes the ownership of such intellectual property rights is an important factor in differentiating its business and that its success does depend in part on such ownership, the Company relies primarily on the innovative skills, technical competence and marketing abilities of its personnel.

The Company regularly files patent, design, copyright and trademark applications to protect innovations arising from its research, development, design and marketing, and is currently pursuing thousands of applications around the world. Over time, the Company has accumulated a large portfolio of issued and registered intellectual property rights around the world. No single intellectual property right is solely responsible for protecting the Company’s products and services. The Company believes the duration of its intellectual property rights is adequate relative to the expected lives of its products and services.

In addition to Company-owned intellectual property, many of the Company’s products and services are designed to include intellectual property owned by third parties. It may be necessary in the future to seek or renew licenses relating to various aspects of the Company’s products, processes and services. While the Company has generally been able to obtain such licenses on commercially reasonable terms in the past, there is no guarantee that such licenses could be obtained in the future on reasonable terms or at all.

The Company has historically experienced higher net sales in its first quarter compared to other quarters in its fiscal year due in part to seasonal holiday demand. Additionally, new product and service introductions can significantly impact net sales, cost of sales and operating expenses. The timing of product introductions can also impact the Company’s net sales to its indirect distribution channels as these channels are filled with new inventory following a product launch, and channel inventory of an older product often declines as the launch of a newer product approaches. Net sales can also be affected when consumers and distributors anticipate a product introduction.

The Company believes that its people play an important role in its success, and strives to attract, develop and retain the best talent. The Company works to create an inclusive, safe and supportive environment for all of its team members, so that its people can do the best work of their lives. As of September 28, 2024, the Company had approximately 164,000 full-time equivalent employees.

Compensation and Benefits

The Company believes that compensation should be competitive and equitable, and should enable employees to share in the Company’s success. The Company recognizes its people are most likely to thrive when they have the resources to meet their needs and the time and support to succeed in their professional and personal lives. In support of this, the Company offers a wide variety of benefits for employees around the world, including health, wellness and time away.

Growth and Development

The Company invests in resources to help its people develop and achieve their career goals. The Company offers programs through Apple University on leadership, management and influence, as well as Apple culture and values. Team members can also take advantage of online classes for business, technical and personal development, as well as learning opportunities to support their well-being.

Workplace Practices and Policies

The Company is an equal opportunity employer committed to inclusion and diversity and to providing a workplace free of harassment or discrimination.

Inclusion and Diversity

The Company is committed to its vision to build and sustain a more inclusive workforce that is representative of the communities it serves. The Company continues to work to increase diverse representation at every level, foster an inclusive culture, and support equitable pay and access to opportunity for all employees.

Engagement

The Company believes that open and honest communication among team members, managers and leaders helps create an open, collaborative work environment where everyone can contribute, grow and succeed. Team members are encouraged to come to their managers with questions, feedback or concerns, and the Company conducts surveys that gauge employee sentiment in areas like career development, manager performance and inclusivity.

Health and Safety

The Company is committed to protecting its team members everywhere it operates. The Company identifies potential workplace risks in order to develop measures to mitigate possible hazards. The Company supports employees with general safety, security and crisis management training, and by putting specific programs in place for those working in potentially high-hazard environments. Additionally, the Company works to protect the safety and security of its team members, visitors and customers through its global security team.

The Company’s Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to reports filed pursuant to Sections 13(a) and 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), are filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). Such reports and other information filed by the Company with the SEC are available free of charge at investor.apple.com/investor-relations/sec-filings/default.aspx when such reports are available on the SEC’s website. The Company periodically provides certain information for investors on its corporate website, www.apple.com, and its investor relations website, investor.apple.com. This includes press releases and other information about financial performance, information on environmental, social and governance matters, and details related to the Company’s annual meeting of shareholders. The information contained on the websites referenced in this Form 10-K is not incorporated by reference into this filing. Further, the Company’s references to website URLs are intended to be inactive textual references only.

The Company designs, manufactures and markets smartphones, personal computers, tablets, wearables and accessories, and sells a variety of related services. The Company’s fiscal year is the 52- or 53-week period that ends on the last Saturday of September.

iPhone

iPhone® is the Company’s line of smartphones based on its iOS operating system. The iPhone line includes iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15, iPhone 14, iPhone 13 and iPhone SE®.

Mac

Mac® is the Company’s line of personal computers based on its macOS® operating system. The Mac line includes laptops MacBook Air® and MacBook Pro®, as well as desktops iMac®, Mac mini®, Mac Studio® and Mac Pro®.

iPad

iPad® is the Company’s line of multipurpose tablets based on its iPadOS® operating system. The iPad line includes iPad Pro®, iPad Air®, iPad and iPad mini®.

Wearables, Home and Accessories

Wearables includes smartwatches and wireless headphones. The Company’s line of smartwatches, based on its watchOS® operating system, includes Apple Watch Ultra™ 2, Apple Watch® Series 9 and Apple Watch SE®. The Company’s line of wireless headphones includes AirPods®, AirPods Pro®, AirPods Max™ and Beats® products.

Home includes Apple TV®, the Company’s media streaming and gaming device based on its tvOS® operating system, and HomePod® and HomePod mini®, high-fidelity wireless smart speakers.

Accessories includes Apple-branded and third-party accessories.

Advertising

The Company’s advertising services include third-party licensing arrangements and the Company’s own advertising platforms.

AppleCare

The Company offers a portfolio of fee-based service and support products under the AppleCare® brand. The offerings provide priority access to Apple technical support, access to the global Apple authorized service network for repair and replacement services, and in many cases additional coverage for instances of accidental damage or theft and loss, depending on the country and type of product.

Cloud Services

The Company’s cloud services store and keep customers’ content up-to-date and available across multiple Apple devices and Windows personal computers.

Digital Content

The Company operates various platforms, including the App Store®, that allow customers to discover and download applications and digital content, such as books, music, video, games and podcasts.

The Company also offers digital content through subscription-based services, including Apple Arcade®, a game subscription service; Apple Fitness+SM, a personalized fitness service; Apple Music®, which offers users a curated listening experience with on-demand radio stations; Apple News+®, a subscription news and magazine service; and Apple TV+®, which offers exclusive original content and live sports.

Payment Services

The Company offers payment services, including Apple Card®, a co-branded credit card, and Apple Pay®, a cashless payment service.

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’s customers are primarily in the consumer, small and mid-sized business, education, enterprise and government markets. The Company sells its products and resells third-party products in most of its major markets directly to customers through its retail and online stores and its direct sales force. The Company also employs a variety of indirect distribution channels, such as third-party cellular network carriers, wholesalers, retailers and resellers. During 2023, the Company’s net sales through its direct and indirect distribution channels accounted for 37% and 63%, respectively, of total net sales.

The markets for the Company’s products and services are highly competitive, and are characterized by aggressive price competition and resulting downward pressure on gross margins, frequent introduction of new products and services, short product life cycles, evolving industry standards, continual improvement in product price and performance characteristics, rapid adoption of technological advancements by competitors, and price sensitivity on the part of consumers and businesses. Many of the Company’s competitors seek to compete primarily through aggressive pricing and very low cost structures, and by imitating the Company’s products and infringing on its intellectual property.

The Company’s ability to compete successfully depends heavily on ensuring the continuing and timely introduction of innovative new products, services and technologies to the marketplace. The Company designs and develops nearly the entire solution for its products, including the hardware, operating system, numerous software applications and related services. Principal competitive factors important to the Company include price, product and service features (including security features), relative price and performance, product and service quality and reliability, design innovation, a strong third-party software and accessories ecosystem, marketing and distribution capability, service and support, and corporate reputation.

The Company is focused on expanding its market opportunities related to smartphones, personal computers, tablets, wearables and accessories, and services. The Company faces substantial competition in these markets from companies that have significant technical, marketing, distribution and other resources, as well as established hardware, software, and service offerings with large customer bases. In addition, some of the Company’s competitors have broader product lines, lower-priced products and a larger installed base of active devices. Competition has been particularly intense as competitors have aggressively cut prices and lowered product margins. Certain competitors have the resources, experience or cost structures to provide products at little or no profit or even at a loss. The Company’s services compete with business models that provide content to users for free and use illegitimate means to obtain third-party digital content and applications. The Company faces significant competition as competitors imitate the Company’s product features and applications within their products, or collaborate to offer integrated solutions that are more competitive than those they currently offer.

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. The Company also competes for various components with other participants in the markets for smartphones, personal computers, tablets, wearables and accessories. 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.

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 their manufacturing capacities have increased. The 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.

Because the industries in which the Company competes are characterized by rapid technological advances, the Company’s ability to compete successfully depends heavily upon its ability to ensure a continual and timely flow of competitive products, services and technologies to the marketplace. The Company continues to develop new technologies to enhance existing products and services, and to expand the range of its offerings through research and development (“R&D”), licensing of intellectual property and acquisition of third-party businesses and technology.

The Company currently holds a broad collection of intellectual property rights relating to certain aspects of its hardware devices, accessories, software and services. This includes patents, designs, copyrights, trademarks and other forms of intellectual property rights in the U.S. and various foreign countries. Although the Company believes the ownership of such intellectual property rights is an important factor in differentiating its business and that its success does depend in part on such ownership, the Company relies primarily on the innovative skills, technical competence and marketing abilities of its personnel.

The Company regularly files patent, design, copyright and trademark applications to protect innovations arising from its research, development, design and marketing, and is currently pursuing thousands of applications around the world. Over time, the Company has accumulated a large portfolio of issued and registered intellectual property rights around the world. No single intellectual property right is solely responsible for protecting the Company’s products and services. The Company believes the duration of its intellectual property rights is adequate relative to the expected lives of its products and services.

In addition to Company-owned intellectual property, many of the Company’s products and services are designed to include intellectual property owned by third parties. It may be necessary in the future to seek or renew licenses relating to various aspects of the Company’s products, processes and services. While the Company has generally been able to obtain such licenses on commercially reasonable terms in the past, there is no guarantee that such licenses could be obtained in the future on reasonable terms or at all.

The Company has historically experienced higher net sales in its first quarter compared to other quarters in its fiscal year due in part to seasonal holiday demand. Additionally, new product and service introductions can significantly impact net sales, cost of sales and operating expenses. The timing of product introductions can also impact the Company’s net sales to its indirect distribution channels as these channels are filled with new inventory following a product launch, and channel inventory of an older product often declines as the launch of a newer product approaches. Net sales can also be affected when consumers and distributors anticipate a product introduction.

The Company believes it has a talented, motivated and dedicated team, and works to create an inclusive, safe and supportive environment for all of its team members. As of September 30, 2023, the Company had approximately 161,000 full-time equivalent employees.

Workplace Practices and Policies

The Company is an equal opportunity employer committed to inclusion and diversity and to providing a workplace free of harassment or discrimination.

Compensation and Benefits

The Company believes that compensation should be competitive and equitable, and should enable employees to share in the Company’s success. The Company recognizes its people are most likely to thrive when they have the resources to meet their needs and the time and support to succeed in their professional and personal lives. In support of this, the Company offers a wide variety of benefits for employees around the world and invests in tools and resources that are designed to support employees’ individual growth and development.

Inclusion and Diversity

The Company is committed to its vision to build and sustain a more inclusive workforce that is representative of the communities it serves. The Company continues to work to increase diverse representation at every level, foster an inclusive culture, and support equitable pay and access to opportunity for all employees.

Engagement

The Company believes that open and honest communication among team members, managers and leaders helps create an open, collaborative work environment where everyone can contribute, grow and succeed. Team members are encouraged to come to their managers with questions, feedback or concerns, and the Company conducts surveys that gauge employee sentiment in areas like career development, manager performance and inclusivity.

Health and Safety

The Company is committed to protecting its team members everywhere it operates. The Company identifies potential workplace risks in order to develop measures to mitigate possible hazards. The Company supports employees with general safety, security and crisis management training, and by putting specific programs in place for those working in potentially high-hazard environments. Additionally, the Company works to protect the safety and security of its team members, visitors and customers through its global security team.

The Company’s Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to reports filed pursuant to Sections 13(a) and 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), are filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). Such reports and other information filed by the Company with the SEC are available free of charge at investor.apple.com/investor-relations/sec-filings/default.aspx when such reports are available on the SEC’s website. The Company periodically provides certain information for investors on its corporate website, www.apple.com, and its investor relations website, investor.apple.com. This includes press releases and other information about financial performance, information on environmental, social and governance matters, and details related to the Company’s annual meeting of shareholders. The information contained on the websites referenced in this Form 10-K is not incorporated by reference into this filing. Further, the Company’s references to website URLs are intended to be inactive textual references only.

The Company designs, manufactures and markets smartphones, personal computers, tablets, wearables and accessories, and sells a variety of related services. The Company’s fiscal year is the 52- or 53-week period that ends on the last Saturday of September.

iPhone

iPhone® is the Company’s line of smartphones based on its iOS operating system. The iPhone line includes iPhone 14 Pro, iPhone 14, iPhone 13, iPhone SE®, iPhone 12 and iPhone 11.

Mac

Mac® is the Company’s line of personal computers based on its macOS® operating system. The Mac line includes laptops MacBook Air® and MacBook Pro®, as well as desktops iMac®, Mac mini®, Mac Studio™ and Mac Pro®.

iPad

iPad® is the Company’s line of multipurpose tablets based on its iPadOS® operating system. The iPad line includes iPad Pro®, iPad Air®, iPad and iPad mini®.

Wearables, Home and Accessories

Wearables, Home and Accessories includes:

•AirPods®, the Company’s wireless headphones, including AirPods, AirPods Pro® and AirPods Max™;

•Apple TV®, the Company’s media streaming and gaming device based on its tvOS® operating system, including Apple TV 4K and Apple TV HD;

•Apple Watch®, the Company’s line of smartwatches based on its watchOS® operating system, including Apple Watch Ultra™, Apple Watch Series 8 and Apple Watch SE®; and

•Beats® products, HomePod mini® and accessories.

Advertising

The Company’s advertising services include various third-party licensing arrangements and the Company’s own advertising platforms.

AppleCare

The Company offers a portfolio of fee-based service and support products under the AppleCare® brand. The offerings provide priority access to Apple technical support, access to the global Apple authorized service network for repair and replacement services, and in many cases additional coverage for instances of accidental damage and/or theft and loss, depending on the country and type of product.

Cloud Services

The Company’s cloud services store and keep customers’ content up-to-date and available across multiple Apple devices and Windows personal computers.

Digital Content

The Company operates various platforms, including the App Store®, that allow customers to discover and download applications and digital content, such as books, music, video, games and podcasts.

The Company also offers digital content through subscription-based services, including Apple Arcade®, a game subscription service; Apple Fitness+SM, a personalized fitness service; Apple Music®, which offers users a curated listening experience with on-demand radio stations; Apple News+®, a subscription news and magazine service; and Apple TV+®, which offers exclusive original content and live sports.

Payment Services

The Company offers payment services, including Apple Card®, a co-branded credit card, and Apple Pay®, a cashless payment service.

The Company’s customers are primarily in the consumer, small and mid-sized business, education, enterprise and government markets. The Company sells its products and resells third-party products in most of its major markets directly to consumers, small and mid-sized businesses, and education, enterprise and government customers through its retail and online stores and its direct sales force. The Company also employs a variety of indirect distribution channels, such as third-party cellular network carriers, wholesalers, retailers and resellers. During 2022, the Company’s net sales through its direct and indirect distribution channels accounted for 38% and 62%, respectively, of total net sales.

The markets for the Company’s products and services are highly competitive, and are characterized by aggressive price competition and resulting downward pressure on gross margins, frequent introduction of new products and services, short product life cycles, evolving industry standards, continual improvement in product price and performance characteristics, rapid adoption of technological advancements by competitors, and price sensitivity on the part of consumers and businesses. Many of the Company’s competitors seek to compete primarily through aggressive pricing and very low cost structures, and by imitating the Company’s products and infringing on its intellectual property.

The Company’s ability to compete successfully depends heavily on ensuring the continuing and timely introduction of innovative new products, services and technologies to the marketplace. The Company designs and develops nearly the entire solution for its products, including the hardware, operating system, numerous software applications and related services. Principal competitive factors important to the Company include price, product and service features (including security features), relative price and performance, product and service quality and reliability, design innovation, a strong third-party software and accessories ecosystem, marketing and distribution capability, service and support, and corporate reputation.

The Company is focused on expanding its market opportunities related to smartphones, personal computers, tablets, wearables and accessories, and services. The Company faces substantial competition in these markets from companies that have significant technical, marketing, distribution and other resources, as well as established hardware, software, and service offerings with large customer bases. In addition, some of the Company’s competitors have broader product lines, lower-priced products and a larger installed base of active devices. Competition has been particularly intense as competitors have aggressively cut prices and lowered product margins. Certain competitors have the resources, experience or cost structures to provide products at little or no profit or even at a loss. The Company’s services compete with business models that provide content to users for free and use illegitimate means to obtain third-party digital content and applications. The Company faces significant competition as competitors imitate the Company’s product features and applications within their products, or collaborate to offer integrated solutions that are more competitive than those they currently offer.

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. The Company also competes for various components with other participants in the markets for smartphones, personal computers, tablets, wearables and accessories. 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.

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 their manufacturing capacities have increased. The 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.

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.

Because the industries in which the Company competes are characterized by rapid technological advances, the Company’s ability to compete successfully depends heavily upon its ability to ensure a continual and timely flow of competitive products, services and technologies to the marketplace. The Company continues to develop new technologies to enhance existing products and services, and to expand the range of its offerings through research and development (“R&D”), licensing of intellectual property and acquisition of third-party businesses and technology.

The Company currently holds a broad collection of intellectual property rights relating to certain aspects of its hardware devices, accessories, software and services. This includes patents, designs, copyrights, trademarks and other forms of intellectual property rights in the U.S. and various foreign countries. Although the Company believes the ownership of such intellectual property rights is an important factor in differentiating its business and that its success does depend in part on such ownership, the Company relies primarily on the innovative skills, technical competence and marketing abilities of its personnel.

The Company regularly files patent, design, copyright and trademark applications to protect innovations arising from its research, development, design and marketing, and is currently pursuing thousands of applications around the world. Over time, the Company has accumulated a large portfolio of issued and registered intellectual property rights around the world. No single intellectual property right is solely responsible for protecting the Company’s products and services. The Company believes the duration of its intellectual property rights is adequate relative to the expected lives of its products and services.

In addition to Company-owned intellectual property, many of the Company’s products and services are designed to include intellectual property owned by third parties. It may be necessary in the future to seek or renew licenses relating to various aspects of the Company’s products, processes and services. While the Company has generally been able to obtain such licenses on commercially reasonable terms in the past, there is no guarantee that such licenses could be obtained in the future on reasonable terms or at all.

The Company has historically experienced higher net sales in its first quarter compared to other quarters in its fiscal year due in part to seasonal holiday demand. Additionally, new product and service introductions can significantly impact net sales, cost of sales and operating expenses. The timing of product introductions can also impact the Company’s net sales to its indirect distribution channels as these channels are filled with new inventory following a product launch, and channel inventory of an older product often declines as the launch of a newer product approaches. Net sales can also be affected when consumers and distributors anticipate a product introduction.

The Company believes it has a talented, motivated and dedicated team, and works to create an inclusive, safe and supportive environment for all of its team members. As of September 24, 2022, the Company had approximately 164,000 full-time equivalent employees.

Workplace Practices and Policies

The Company is an equal opportunity employer committed to inclusion and diversity and to providing a workplace free of harassment or discrimination.

Compensation and Benefits

The Company believes that compensation should be competitive and equitable, and should enable employees to share in the Company’s success. The Company recognizes its people are most likely to thrive when they have the resources to meet their needs and the time and support to succeed in their professional and personal lives. In support of this, the Company offers a wide variety of benefits for employees around the world and invests in tools and resources that are designed to support employees’ individual growth and development.

Inclusion and Diversity

The Company remains committed to its vision to build and sustain a more inclusive workforce that is representative of the communities it serves. The Company continues to work to increase diverse representation at every level, foster an inclusive culture, and support equitable pay and access to opportunity for all employees.

Engagement

The Company believes that open and honest communication among team members, managers and leaders helps create an open, collaborative work environment where everyone can contribute, grow and succeed. Team members are encouraged to come to their managers with questions, feedback or concerns, and the Company conducts surveys that gauge employee sentiment in areas like career development, manager performance and inclusivity.

Health and Safety

The Company is committed to protecting its team members everywhere it operates. The Company identifies potential workplace risks in order to develop measures to mitigate possible hazards. The Company supports employees with general safety, security and crisis management training, and by putting specific programs in place for those working in potentially high-hazard environments. Additionally, the Company works to protect the safety and security of its team members, visitors and customers through its global security team. The Company has also taken additional health and safety measures during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Company’s Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to reports filed pursuant to Sections 13(a) and 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), are filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). Such reports and other information filed by the Company with the SEC are available free of charge at investor.apple.com/investor-relations/sec-filings/default.aspx when such reports are available on the SEC’s website. The Company periodically provides certain information for investors on its corporate website, www.apple.com, and its investor relations website, investor.apple.com. This includes press releases and other information about financial performance, information on environmental, social and governance matters, and details related to the Company’s annual meeting of shareholders. The information contained on the websites referenced in this Form 10-K is not incorporated by reference into this filing. Further, the Company’s references to website URLs are intended to be inactive textual references only.

The Company designs, manufactures and markets smartphones, personal computers, tablets, wearables and accessories, and sells a variety of related services. The Company’s fiscal year is the 52- or 53-week period that ends on the last Saturday of September.

iPhone

iPhone® is the Company’s line of smartphones based on its iOS operating system. In October and November 2020, the Company released iPhone 12, iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max, all with 5G technology. In September 2021, the Company released iPhone 13, iPhone 13 mini, iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max.

Mac

Mac® is the Company’s line of personal computers based on its macOS® operating system. In November 2020, the Company released new versions of MacBook Air®, 13-inch MacBook Pro® and Mac mini®, and in May 2021, the Company released a redesigned iMac®, all powered by the Apple M1 chip. In October 2021, the Company released a redesigned MacBook Pro, available in 14- and 16-inch models and powered by the Apple M1 Pro or M1 Max chip.

iPad

iPad® is the Company’s line of multipurpose tablets based on its iPadOS® operating system. In October 2020, the Company released a new iPad Air®, and in April 2021, the Company released a new iPad Pro® powered by the Apple M1 chip. In September 2021, the Company released an updated iPad and a new iPad mini®.

Wearables, Home and Accessories

Wearables, Home and Accessories includes AirPods®, Apple TV®, Apple Watch®, Beats® products, HomePod®, iPod touch® and accessories. AirPods are the Company’s wireless headphones that interact with Siri®. In December 2020, the Company released AirPods Max™, new over-ear wireless headphones, and in October 2021, the Company released the third generation of AirPods. Apple Watch is the Company’s line of smart watches based on its watchOS® operating system. In September 2021, the Company announced Apple Watch Series 7, which was available starting in October 2021.

Advertising

The Company’s advertising services include various third-party licensing arrangements and the Company’s own advertising platforms.

AppleCare

The Company offers a portfolio of fee-based service and support products under the AppleCare® brand. The offerings provide priority access to Apple technical support, access to the global Apple authorized service network for repair and replacement services, and in many cases additional coverage for instances of accidental damage and/or theft and loss, depending on the country and type of product.

Cloud Services

The Company’s cloud services store and keep customers’ content up-to-date and available across multiple Apple devices and Windows personal computers.

Digital Content

The Company operates various platforms, including the App Store®, that allow customers to discover and download applications and digital content, such as books, music, video, games and podcasts.

The Company also offers digital content through subscription-based services, including Apple Arcade®, a game subscription service; Apple Music®, which offers users a curated listening experience with on-demand radio stations; Apple News+®, a subscription news and magazine service; and Apple TV+SM, which offers exclusive original content. During 2021, the Company released Apple Fitness+SM, a personalized fitness service.

Payment Services

The Company offers payment services, including Apple Card®, a co-branded credit card, and Apple Pay®, a cashless payment service.

The Company’s customers are primarily in the consumer, small and mid-sized business, education, enterprise and government markets. The Company sells its products and resells third-party products in most of its major markets directly to consumers, small and mid-sized businesses, and education, enterprise and government customers through its retail and online stores and its direct sales force. The Company also employs a variety of indirect distribution channels, such as third-party cellular network carriers, wholesalers, retailers and resellers. During 2021, the Company’s net sales through its direct and indirect distribution channels accounted for 36% and 64%, respectively, of total net sales.

The markets for the Company’s products and services are highly competitive, and are characterized by aggressive price competition and resulting downward pressure on gross margins, frequent introduction of new products and services, short product life cycles, evolving industry standards, continual improvement in product price and performance characteristics, rapid adoption of technological advancements by competitors, and price sensitivity on the part of consumers and businesses. Many of the Company’s competitors seek to compete primarily through aggressive pricing and very low cost structures, and by imitating the Company’s products and infringing on its intellectual property.

The Company’s ability to compete successfully depends heavily on ensuring the continuing and timely introduction of innovative new products, services and technologies to the marketplace. The Company designs and develops nearly the entire solution for its products, including the hardware, operating system, numerous software applications and related services. Principal competitive factors important to the Company include price, product and service features (including security features), relative price and performance, product and service quality and reliability, design innovation, a strong third-party software and accessories ecosystem, marketing and distribution capability, service and support, and corporate reputation.

The Company is focused on expanding its market opportunities related to smartphones, personal computers, tablets, wearables and accessories, and services. The Company faces substantial competition in these markets from companies that have significant technical, marketing, distribution and other resources, as well as established hardware, software, and service offerings with large customer bases. In addition, some of the Company’s competitors have broader product lines, lower-priced products and a larger installed base of active devices. Competition has been particularly intense as competitors have aggressively cut prices and lowered product margins. Certain competitors have the resources, experience or cost structures to provide products at little or no profit or even at a loss. The Company’s services compete with business models that provide content to users for free and use illegitimate means to obtain third-party digital content and applications. The Company faces significant competition as competitors imitate the Company’s product features and applications within their products, or collaborate to offer integrated solutions that are more competitive than those they currently offer.

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. The Company also competes for various components with other participants in the markets for smartphones, personal computers, tablets, wearables and accessories. 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.

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 their manufacturing capacities have increased. The 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.

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.

Because the industries in which the Company competes are characterized by rapid technological advances, the Company’s ability to compete successfully depends heavily upon its ability to ensure a continual and timely flow of competitive products, services and technologies to the marketplace. The Company continues to develop new technologies to enhance existing products and services, and to expand the range of its offerings through research and development (“R&D”), licensing of intellectual property and acquisition of third-party businesses and technology.

The Company currently holds a broad collection of intellectual property rights relating to certain aspects of its hardware devices, accessories, software and services. This includes patents, copyrights, trademarks, service marks, trade dress and other forms of intellectual property rights in the U.S. and various foreign countries. Although the Company believes the ownership of such intellectual property rights is an important factor in its business and that its success does depend in part on such ownership, the Company relies primarily on the innovative skills, technical competence and marketing abilities of its personnel.

The Company regularly files patent applications to protect innovations arising from its research, development and design, and is currently pursuing thousands of patent applications around the world. Over time, the Company has accumulated a large portfolio of issued patents, including utility patents, design patents and others. The Company also holds copyrights relating to certain aspects of its products and services. No single intellectual property right is solely responsible for protecting the Company’s products. The Company believes the duration of its intellectual property rights is adequate relative to the expected lives of its products.

In addition to Company-owned intellectual property, many of the Company’s products and services are designed to include intellectual property owned by third parties. It may be necessary in the future to seek or renew licenses relating to various aspects of the Company’s products, processes and services. While the Company has generally been able to obtain such licenses on commercially reasonable terms in the past, there is no guarantee that such licenses could be obtained in the future on reasonable terms or at all.

The Company has historically experienced higher net sales in its first quarter compared to other quarters in its fiscal year due in part to seasonal holiday demand. Additionally, new product and service introductions can significantly impact net sales, cost of sales and operating expenses. The timing of product introductions can also impact the Company’s net sales to its indirect distribution channels as these channels are filled with new inventory following a product launch, and channel inventory of an older product often declines as the launch of a newer product approaches. Net sales can also be affected when consumers and distributors anticipate a product introduction.

The Company believes it has a talented, motivated, and dedicated team, and is committed to supporting the development of all of its team members and to continuously building on its strong culture. As of September 25, 2021, the Company had approximately 154,000 full-time equivalent employees.

Workplace Practices and Policies

The Company is committed to providing a workplace free of harassment or discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, caste or other legally protected characteristic. The Company is an equal opportunity employer committed to inclusion and diversity.

Compensation and Benefits

The Company believes that compensation should not only be competitive; it should be equitable and should enable employees to share in the Company’s success as shareholders of the Company. The Company recognizes its people are most likely to thrive when they have the resources to meet their needs and the time and support to succeed in their professional and personal lives. In support of this, the Company offers a wide variety of benefits to employees around the world.

Growth and Development

The Company invests in tools and resources that support employees’ individual growth and development. The Company also provides classes and seminars to foster understanding and critical thinking about the Company’s culture, organization and values.

Inclusion and Diversity

The Company is committed to hiring inclusively, providing training and development opportunities, fostering an inclusive culture, and ensuring equitable pay for employees, and is continuing to focus on increasing diverse representation at every level of the Company.

The Company has initiatives in place to implement its commitment to increase diverse representation, including creating diverse interview panels and candidate slates, focusing on robust diversity recruiting efforts, and expanding diversity outreach efforts through organizations that serve and engage talent from underrepresented communities. The Company also offers team members access to ongoing inclusion and diversity education, and support throughout their career journey and helps them find community and connection through employee groups that create spaces for belonging, learning, and growing inclusivity, diversity and equity efforts.

Engagement

The Company believes that open and honest communication among team members, managers and leadership fosters an open, collaborative work environment where everyone can participate, develop and thrive. Team members are encouraged to come to their managers with questions, feedback or concerns, and the Company regularly conducts surveys that gauge employee sentiment in areas like career development, manager performance and inclusivity.

Health and Safety

The Company is committed to protecting its employees everywhere it operates. The Company identifies potential risks associated with workplace activities in order to develop measures to mitigate possible hazards. The Company supports employees with general safety training and puts specific programs in place for those working in potentially high-hazard environments, including chemical management, laser safety, equipment and machinery safety, hazardous materials management and electrical safety. The Company has taken additional measures during the COVID-19 pandemic, including providing information resources, testing, face masks and personal protective equipment, and case support. The Company also offers special sick leave for employees with possible COVID-19 symptoms, as well as comprehensive health coverage.

The Company’s Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to reports filed pursuant to Sections 13(a) and 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), are filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). Such reports and other information filed by the Company with the SEC are available free of charge at investor.apple.com/investor-relations/sec-filings/default.aspx when such reports are available on the SEC’s website. The Company periodically provides other information for investors on its corporate website, www.apple.com, and its investor relations website, investor.apple.com. This includes press releases and other information about financial performance, information on environmental, social and corporate governance and details related to the Company’s annual meeting of shareholders. The information contained on the websites referenced in this Form 10-K is not incorporated by reference into this filing. Further, the Company’s references to website URLs are intended to be inactive textual references only.