The fierce patent infringement lawsuit between Apple and Samsung is still going on, with Apple claiming that Samsung infringed upon its patents and designs for their Galaxy Tab and Galaxy smartphone products. While that may or may not be the case (that’s for the lawyers to argue out and for the judges to decide), as to whether these alleged infringements are impacting Apple’s iPad sales are now being called into question.
It appears that Apple is being pressured in both the US and UK to release their iPad sales figures to prove that their tablet business has been directly affected (negatively) due to Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1 product.
According to Samsung’s lawyer, Neil Murray, “People want an Android product, so they will buy an Android product […] This is not impacting the sales of Apple,” but Apple’s lawyer Steven Burley begs to differ, citing “remarkable similarity of the Samsung product” in terms of “functionality and appearance” which would ultimately affect the sales of the iPad. However it’s no secret that the iPad is currently the tablet to beat, despite other tablets that may be sporting better hardware, which means that it will be a bit tough for Apple to prove that they have been negatively affected by Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1.
A judge in Australia denied Samsung’s request for Apple to submit their sales information, instead saying that Apple should do so voluntarily if they want their injunction request considered.