Note 9 – Warranty

In general, Zebra provides warranty coverage of one year on printers against defects in material and workmanship. Printheads are warranted for six months and batteries are warranted for one year. Battery based products, such as location tags, are covered by a 90-day warranty. A provision for warranty expense is recorded at the time of sale and adjusted quarterly based on historical warranty experience.

The following table is a summary of Zebra’s accrued warranty obligation (in thousands):


	Six Months Ended
	June 29, 2013			June 30, 2012
Balance at the beginning of the year	$	4,252		$	4,613
Warranty expense		3,615			3,279
Warranty payments		(3,564	)		(3,612	)

Balance at the end of the period	$	4,303		$	4,280