Business

Meanwhile, Galaxy sales go supernova

Samsung may have been beaten in the courtroom, but in the court of public opinion, consumers came back with a different verdict.

Sales of Samsung’s flagship Android-device the Galaxy S III were through the roof the weekend after a California jury found that previous-generation Galaxy S phones and other devices violate Apple patents.

“Customers rushed to buy Samsung Galaxy S III this weekend, with some stores reporting stock out,” according to analyst Trip Chowdhry with Global Equities Research.

The sales boost added to Samsung’s already impressive sales, which topped 50 million Galaxy and other Google Android-based devices last quarter, almost double Apple iPhone sales.

Chowdhry said random channel checks revealed that the Galaxy S III was sold out at a couple of Costco stores, while some Verizon stores reported the phone outsold the iPhone. Similar sales spikes were found at AT&T and Sprint stores.

Chowdhry concluded that the patent war is not final.

“The Galaxy S III is significantly different from iPhone, so expect a series of appeals and counter appeals,” Chowdhry said. “The verdict is not final.”

Indeed, Apple and Samsung have another day in court, Sept. 20, for an injunction hearing in which Apple will look to ban the sale of eight Samsung devices, including the Galaxy S II.

Samsung, meanwhile, is preparing an appeal and is looking to remove a preliminary injunction that bans sales of its Galaxy Tab.

As for the S III, analysts expect Apple will sue over that device, which was not part of the case the jury ruled on last week.

Also, the judge has leeway to increase Samsung’s $1 billion-plus payout, because the jury determined the patent violations were willful, leaving room for damages to be tripled.