9.	Fair Value

Fair value is defined as the price that would be received from selling an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. When determining the fair value measurements for assets and liabilities required or permitted to be recorded at fair value, the Company considers the principal or most advantageous market in which it would transact, and it considers assumptions that market participants would use when pricing the asset or liability.

(a) Fair Value Hierarchy

The accounting guidance for fair value measurement requires an entity to maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs when measuring fair value. The standard establishes a fair value hierarchy based on the level of independent, objective evidence surrounding the inputs used to measure fair value. A financial instrument's categorization within the fair value hierarchy is based upon the lowest level of input that is significant to the fair value measurement. The fair value hierarchy is as follows:

Level 1 Level 1 applies to assets or liabilities for which there are quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.

Level 2 Level 2 applies to assets or liabilities for which there are inputs other than quoted prices that are observable for the asset or liability such as quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities in active markets; quoted prices for identical assets or liabilities in markets with insufficient volume or infrequent transactions (less active markets); or model-derived valuations in which significant inputs are observable or can be derived principally from, or corroborated by, observable market data.

Level 3 Level 3 applies to assets or liabilities for which there are unobservable inputs to the valuation methodology that are significant to the measurement of the fair value of the assets or liabilities.

(b) Assets and Liabilities Measured at Fair Value on a Recurring Basis

Assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis as of April 30, 2011 and July 31, 2010 were as follows (in millions):


	APRIL 30, 2011								JULY 31, 2010
	FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS								FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS
	Level 1		Level 2		Level 3		Total Balance		Level 1		Level 2		Level 3		Total Balance
Assets
Cash equivalents:
Money market funds	$	4,995	$	—	$	—	$	4,995	$	2,521	$	—	$	—	$	2,521
U.S. government securities		—		—		—		—		—		235		—		235
U.S. government agency securities ⁽¹⁾		—		76		—		76		—		40		—		40
Corporate debt securities		—		—		—		—		—		1		—		1
Available-for-sale investments:
U.S. government securities		—		19,817		—		19,817		—		16,612		—		16,612
U.S. government agency securities ⁽¹⁾		—		8,225		—		8,225		—		13,579		—		13,579
Non-U.S. government and agency securities ⁽²⁾		—		2,734		—		2,734		—		1,467		—		1,467
Corporate debt securities		—		4,406		—		4,406		—		2,222		—		2,222
Asset-backed securities		—		—		130		130		—		—		149		149
Publicly traded equity securities		1,420		—		—		1,420		1,251		—		—		1,251
Derivative assets		—		183		2		185		—		160		3		163

Total	$	6,415	$	35,441	$	132	$	41,988	$	3,772	$	34,316	$	152	$	38,240

Liabilities:
Derivative liabilities	$	—	$	22	$	—	$	22	$	—	$	19	$	—	$	19

Total	$	—	$	22	$	—	$	22	$	—	$	19	$	—	$	19

⁽¹⁾	Includes corporate debt securities that are guaranteed by the FDIC.

⁽²⁾	Includes corporate debt securities that are guaranteed by non-U.S. governments.

Level 2 fixed income securities are priced using quoted market prices for similar instruments; nonbinding market prices that are corroborated by observable market data; or, in limited circumstances, discounted cash flow techniques. The Company uses inputs such as actual trade data, benchmark yields, broker/dealer quotes, and other similar data, which are obtained from quoted market prices, independent pricing vendors, or other sources to determine the ultimate fair value of these assets and liabilities. The Company uses such pricing data as the primary input to make its assessments and determinations as to the ultimate valuation of its investment portfolio and has not made, during the periods presented, any material adjustments to such inputs. The Company is ultimately responsible for the financial statements and underlying estimates. The Company's derivative instruments are primarily classified as Level 2, as they are not actively traded and are valued using pricing models that use observable market inputs. The Company did not have any transfers between Level 1 and Level 2 fair value measurements during the nine months ended April 30, 2011.

Level 3 assets include asset-backed securities and certain derivative instruments, the values of which are determined based on discounted cash flow models using inputs that the Company could not corroborate with market data.

The following tables present a reconciliation for all assets measured at fair value on a recurring basis using significant unobservable inputs (Level 3) for the nine months ended April 30, 2011 and May 1, 2010 (in millions):


	Asset-Backed Securities			Derivative Assets			Total
Balance at July 31, 2010	$	149		$	3		$	152

Total gains and losses (realized and unrealized):
Included in other income, net		3			—			3
Included in operating expense		—			(1	)		(1	)
Included in other comprehensive income		(1	)		—			(1	)
Purchases, sales and maturities		(21	)		—			(21	)

Balance at April 30, 2011	$	130		$	2		$	132

Losses attributable to assets still held as of April 30, 2011	$	—		$	(1	)	$	(1	)

	Asset-Backed Securities			Derivative Assets			Total

Balance at July 25, 2009	$	223		$	4		$	227

Total gains and losses (realized and unrealized):
Included in other income, net		(6	)		—			(6	)
Included in operating expenses		—			(2	)		(2	)
Included in other comprehensive income		33			—			33
Purchases, sales and maturities		(96	)		—			(96	)

Balance at May 1, 2010	$	154		$	2		$	156

(c) Assets and Liabilities Measured at Fair Value on a Nonrecurring Basis

The following tables present the Company's financial instruments and nonfinancial assets that were measured at fair value on a nonrecurring basis during the indicated periods and the related recognized gains and losses for the periods (in millions):


			FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS
	Net Carrying Value as of April 30, 2011		Level 1		Level 2		Level 3		Total Losses for the Three Months Ended April 30, 2011			Total Losses for the Nine Months Ended April 30, 2011
Investments in privately held companies	$	11	$	—	$	—	$	11	$	(1	)	$	(6	)
Purchased intangible assets	$	—	$	—	$	—	$	—		(9	)		(164	)

Total losses for nonrecurring measurements									$	(10	)	$	(170	)

			FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS
	Net Carrying Value as of May 1, 2010		Level 1		Level 2		Level 3		Total Losses for the Three Months Ended May 1, 2010			Total Gains (Losses) for the Nine Months Ended May 1, 2010
Investments in privately held companies	$	27	$	—	$	—	$	27	$	(3	)	$	(17	)
Purchased intangible assets	$	—	$	—	$	—	$	—		(5	)		(13	)
Property held for sale	$	12	$	—	$	—	$	12		(10	)		(10	)
Gains on assets no longer held as of May 1, 2010										—			2

Total losses for nonrecurring measurements									$	(18	)	$	(38	)

The assets in the preceding tables were classified as Level 3 assets because the Company used unobservable inputs to value them, reflecting the Company's assessment of the assumptions market participants would use in pricing these assets due to the absence of quoted market prices and inherent lack of liquidity. These assets were measured at fair value due to events or circumstances the Company identified that significantly impacted fair value during the three and nine months ended April 30, 2011 and May 1, 2010.

The fair value for investments in privately held companies was measured using financial metrics, comparison to other private and public companies, and analysis of the financial condition and near-term prospects of the issuers, including recent financing activities and their capital structure as well as other economic variables. The losses for the investments in privately held companies were recorded to other income, net.

The fair value for purchased intangible assets for which the carrying amount was not deemed to be recoverable was determined using the future discounted cash flows that the assets are expected to generate. The difference between the estimated fair value and the carrying value of the assets was recorded as an impairment charge, which was included in product cost of sales and operating expenses as indicated in Note 4. The impairment charge of $9 million that was recognized during the three months ended April 30, 2011 was related to the restructuring activities as discussed in Note 5.

The fair value for property held for sale was measured using discounted cash flow techniques.

(d) Other

The fair value of certain of the Company's financial instruments that are not measured at fair value, including accounts receivable, accounts payable, accrued compensation, short-term debt, and other current liabilities, approximates the carrying amount because of their short maturities. In addition, the fair value of the Company's loan receivables and financed service contracts also approximates the carrying amount. The fair value of the Company's long-term debt is disclosed in Note 10 and was determined using quoted market prices for those securities.