Samsung Galaxy Tab has 16% return rate, Apple's iPad just 2%

According to the Digital Daily, the Galaxy Tab had a 16 percent return rate from its launch in November through Jan. 15, based on data collected by ITG Investment Research. The return rate was found through a survey from nearly 6,000 wireless stores in the U.S.

The return rate for the Galaxy Tab was said to be 13 percent in December 2010, but the rate increased after the holidays. Return rates through Jan. 15 increased to 16 percent, according to the poll.

ITG also tracked purchases of the iPad through Verizon's retail stores in the U.S. The survey found that just 2 percent of buyers returned Apple's tablet since it debuted in late October.

It's more bad news for Samsung's first iPad competitor, as the company also revealed this week that sales to customers of the device were "quite small." Initially, Samsung had boasted that it sold 2 million of the Galaxy Tab since its launch in November.

But in reality, those sales were to inventory channels, and not actual consumers. In a quarterly earnings call with investors last week, Samsung executive Lee Kun-hee said that the sell-through to consumers was "quite small," though he added the company felt that its performance was "quite OK" given that it is the introduction of a new device.

The Galaxy Tab is powered by the Google Android mobile operating system, but runs "Froyo," a version of the software that was created for smartphones, not tablets. Google intends to transition Android to tablets with the forthcoming release of "Honeycomb," which will debut this year on the new Motorola Xoom.