Samsung hopes Australia suit fuels tablet sales

Samsung VP of telecom Tyler McGee in an interview Wednesday claimed that Apple's attempt to block the Galaxy Tab 10.1, which failed in preliminary rulings, might actually help the Galaxy Tab 10.1's sales once back on sale. He argued to the Sydney Morning Herald that demand had likely gone up through through the attention in court, giving it recognition it wouldn't have otherwise had. It might have even given the tablet more recognition than if Samsung had gone through its usual marketing campaign.

"At the end of the day the media awareness certainly made the Galaxy Tab 10.1 a household name compared to probably what it would've been based on the investment that we would've put into it from a marketing perspective," McGee said.

Samsung would import as many of the tablets as it could, but would probably have "short supply against the demand," the VP said without giving numbers. To make up for lost time, the Galaxy Tab 7.7 was due to arrive in the next two weeks, while the Galaxy Tab 8.9 would be available early next year.

It's unclear whether any high sales early on would be out of widened exposure or simply a level of pent-up demand from those who refused to buy an iPad but also wouldn't pay extra through an importer. Samsung will also have lost several vital weeks of sales while a temporary ban was in force, making it difficult to recoup whatever Samsung would have lost before.

Typically, Samsung's tablets haven't fared well in the market after a short-lived burst for the original, regardless of availability. In the US, the Galaxy Tab was outsold by the HP TouchPad during the summer, when the webOS tablet was being sold at clearance prices that Samsung would never have matched without taking a steep loss. The Korean company, which always celebrates milestones for any product it thinks is selling well, has been silent through the entire history of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 and its newer, smaller counterparts.

Samsung's smartphone sales are much better, and through the Galaxy S II saw the company take the top overall cellphone and smartphone spots in Australia. It's not certain if this will last, since the iPhone 4S launch has seen a trend worldwide of surging Apple's sales, sometimes at Android's expense.

By Electronista Staff