Samsung’s Galaxy 10.1 tablet is being stocked by retailers in the UK who are preparing to sell the tablet after legal qualms headed by Apple halted its sale. As it turns out, the UK ban and its rescinding distinguishes Samsung’s tablet from the myriad of droids on offer working in Samsung’s favour.
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Samsung’s ban (and its subsequent uplifting) of the Galaxy 10.1 tablet could be the best thing to happen to its Galaxy 10.1.
In the UK, the Telegraph reports Carphone Warehouse and BestBuy are now stocking Samsung’s Galaxy 10.1 tablet, which is thinner and offers on paper outperforming iPad specs.
In late August the 10.1 was controversially banned from sale in Britain after Apple claimed the tablet was a “slavish” iPad imitation, citing patents to support its claims. But since then the injunction granted by a German court preventing the 10.1’s sale has been rescinded.
Although Samsung played the defensive, the fact that its Galaxy 10.1 survived Apple’s legal frenzy (thus far) gives it the aura that its Galaxy 10.1 could very well do the same in the tablet market. It’s no longer just another Android tablet: it’s the tablet that Apple feared, fought and lost against. Beating an industry top dog at its own game, now that has market value.
With its tablet now on shop shelves, Samsung could very well find themselves in the best position of a bad situation.
“The Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 is truly paving the way for upgrades on features in tablets to meet the changing demands of consumers on the go,” said Andrew Harrison, BestBuy Europe CEO.
“The Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 fills the gap in the market between laptops, e-readers, TVs and smartphones, combining all in one with a high definition screen and capabilities. We’re looking forward to seeing the great reactions from our customers when it hits stores.”
Apple is challenging Samsung’s Galaxy in countries all over the globe, with an Australian hearing set to take place on the 26th of September. The European case settled in German court was the first bout between the two companies and sets an interesting precedent for their subsequent legal feuds.
Samsung’s relief in the UK is short lived, as it now has to defend its recently announced Galaxy 7.7 tablet, with Apple challenging its form too. Although only 7 inches tall and 7.89mm thick, it packs 8GB of DDR2 RAM (almost 16 times what an iPad 2 offers), a 1.4GHz dual core processor and the most concentrated pixel resolution screen on a tablet yet, at 1280 x 800.
If Samsung’s lucky, they’ll walk away unscathed, bar a couple of scars that stand testament to them surviving Apple’s ploys a second time round.
Update: The WSJ reports that the Australian hearing has been postponed.
