annotated-apple_revenue_recognition%20completed

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University Of Chicago *

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20100

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Business

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Feb 20, 2024

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The University of Chicago Booth School of Business Financial Accounting 20100 Accounting for the iPhone at Apple, Inc. Revenue Recognition The questions 1 and 2 concern Apple’s revenue recognition policy for all of its products. The questions 3, 4, and 5 concern Apple’s revenue recognition policy for iPhone only. 1. Estimate the amount of annual revenue that would have been reported in the fiscal year 2008 (ended September 27, 2008) if Apple had never deferred revenue on any of its products. Revenue adjusted for deferrals = Rev. before deferrals - change in deferred Rev. Revenue before deferrals = $32,479 + ($7,882 - $2,240) = $38,121 2. How would Apple’s financial statements (i.e., Balance Sheet, Income Statement, and Statement of Cash Flows) for fiscal year 2008 have changed if Apple had never deferred revenue on any of its products? 1 Ignore any potential tax effects. Balance sheet: Accrued expenses would be debited $4,835 million to become $3,719 million, which would result in total current liabilities reducing to $9,239 million. Meanwhile, non-current liabilities would be debited $3,029 million to become $1,421 million. Overall, total liabilities would reduce from $18,542 million to $10,660 million. Retained earnings would conversely be credited $7,882 million to become $21,727 million. Income statement: Net sales would increase by change in deferred revenue ($5,642 million) to $38, 121 million. Net income would therefore also increase by $5,642 million. Statement of Cash flows: Net income would increase by $5,642 million and deferred revenue would decrease by $5,642 million. 3. Briefly explain how Apple recognizes iPhone revenue. Why does Apple provide non GAAP financial results? Apple recognizes iPhone revenue using subscription accounting, wherein it recognizes the cash collected from iPhone sales at the time of the sale but defers revenue and cost of goods sold for the iPhone and amortizes this deferred revenue into earnings over the estimated economic life of the iPhone (24 months). The company provides non-GAAP financial results to show the effect of iPhone sales on the company’s overall performance and current and future revenue. This allows concerned parties to better judge the
company’s current performance and predict the company’s future performance. 4. Which set of numbers—GAAP versus non-GAAP—best reflects the economics of the iPhone? Arguments could be made for both: the GAAP numbers are more conservative and therefore judgements made based on these numbers could be less risky. However, since much of Apple’s revenue is not included in the GAAP reports, they are a less accurate depiction of the economics of the iPhone and Apple’s current and future performance. Meanwhile, the non-GAAP reports are a more accurate depiction of the economics of the iPhone but judgements made based on them are likely to be more risky. 5. Should Apple lobby the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) to change the revenue recognition rules for smartphones? Yes, because if Apple continues to use subscription accounting, a significant part of Apple’s iPhone sales revenue will be obscured in the GAAP report. Investors and other concerned parties would therefore be forced to make decisions based on incomplete information, and would perhaps even have less confidence in Apple if they did not disclose non-GAAP numbers. Changing the rules would allow smartphone companies to paint a more complete picture of their financial situation. 1 Footnotes to Exhibit 1c provide balances for deferred revenues and costs.
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