Samsung Galaxy Tab outsold by iPad on home turf

Since Apple debuted the iPad in Korea in November 2010, the company is estimated to have sold over one million units of the ubiquitous tablet, far more than global electronics giant Samsung's Galaxy Tab, reports The Korea Herald.

The release of the iPad 2 in Korea drove sales to around 700,000 in 2011 alone, and industry sources say that number could be much higher as many consumers bought the device through unmonitored channels before its official April 29 launch.

Local rival Samsung traditionally refrains from releasing sales numbers, but estimates place iPad market share at somewhere between 70 percent and 80 percent for the region.

Two of every three iPads sold in Korea are WiFi models, indicating that users are unwilling to pay monthly carrier fees for 3G data speeds. It is possible that users are waiting for a model that will take advantage of the country's advanced 4G network, as all three of the nation's wireless carriers offer either LTE or WiMAX.

Overall, the iPad saw a 111 percent increase in worldwide sales from December 2010 to December 2011, with revenue jumping 99 percent during the same period. The rough South Korean estimate is but a fraction of the total 11.2 million units sold globally last year.

This is not the first time that an Apple device has outsold a competing product from Samsung in Korea, as November's 200,000 iPhone 4S pre-orders overshadowed a three day Galaxy S II sales total of 120,000 units.

Apple's dominance in its Korean rival's base of operations is a side note to the two companies' ongoing legal battle that now spans over 10 countries across four continents.

The latest lawsuit was filed last week by Apple in a California court, with the iPad maker seeking to block sales of Samsung's Galaxy Nexus handset over autocorrect and "swipe to unlock" patents.

If successful, the suit may deliver a substantial blow not only to the Galaxy maker, but to the Android platform as well.