Australian Judge Asks For iPad Sales Stats In Galaxy Tab Case

In its unending quest for tablet market supremacy (as if it hadn’t yet achieved such a feat), Apple has been asked by the Australian court to provide iPad sales data from the U.S. and the U.K. Samsung originally sent Apple three modified Galaxy Tabs with the hopes that the fresh “redesign” would coax Apple into dropping the case.

As we expected, that didn’t happen. A Galaxy Tab is still a Galaxy Tab, and Apple clearly wants to destroy it. No number of modifications seems to be changing that.

Getting the preliminary injunction in Australia seemed to be pretty effortless for Apple, but a permanent one requires more scrutiny from the court. Australian judge Annabelle Bennett has asked for sales data from the UK and the U.S. to ensure that the Galaxy Tab 10.1 has in fact hurt Apple’s iPad sales, reports Bloomberg. The disclosure of those numbers isn’t mandatory, but since Samsung has vehemently denied claims that its tablet hurt iPad sales, Judge Bennett sees those figures as pretty necessary if Apple wants to walk away with a win.

Everyone already knows that the iPad is the dominant tablet in the market. Sales are up 183 percent in Q3 2011 from the same time last year, though Apple argues that those numbers would be higher if it wasn’t for the Galaxy Tab and its similar “functionality and appearance.” It may be difficult to argue that the GalTab hurt sales while simultaneously seeing such amazing growth out of the iPad. Especially since Samsung has been persistently arguing the opposite.

“People want an Android product, so they will buy an Android product,” said Samsung counsel Neil Murray. “This is not impacting the sales of Apple.” Whether or not that’s true remains to be seen, but one thing is for sure. No one in Australia will be playing with a Galaxy Tab 10.1 until Apple’s happy.