Automatic Reference Counting (ARC) is a memory management technique used in Apple's programming languages, such as Swift and Objective-C. It is essential for developers to understand ARC as it helps manage memory efficiently and avoids memory leaks and crashes. In the Apple environment, ARC automatically tracks and manages the lifetime of objects, making memory management easier for developers.

Examples:

1. Swift Example:

   
   class Person {
   var name: String
   
   init(name: String) {
       self.name = name
       print("\(name) is initialized")
   }
   
   deinit {
       print("\(name) is being deallocated")
   }
   }

// Creating a strong reference var person1: Person? = Person(name: "John")

// Creating another strong reference var person2: Person? = person1

// Removing one strong reference person1 = nil

// Since there is still another strong reference, the object is not deallocated yet // Output: "John is being deallocated" will not be printed

// Removing the last strong reference person2 = nil

// Now the object has no strong references, so it is deallocated // Output: "John is being deallocated" will be printed

2. Objective-C Example:
```objective-c
@interface Person : NSObject
@property (nonatomic, strong) NSString *name;
@end

@implementation Person
- (void)dealloc {
    NSLog(@"%@ is being deallocated", self.name);
}
@end

// Creating a strong reference
Person *person1 = [[Person alloc] init];
person1.name = @"John";

// Creating another strong reference
Person *person2 = person1;

// Removing one strong reference
person1 = nil;

// Since there is still another strong reference, the object is not deallocated yet
// Output: "John is being deallocated" will not be printed

// Removing the last strong reference
person2 = nil;

// Now the object has no strong references, so it is deallocated
// Output: "John is being deallocated" will be printed