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A uniquely large mobile device boasting a massive 5.3-inch screen and stylus, many have doubted whether the Samsung Galaxy Note would prove a hit with customers. Samsung though says it has, citing that it moved 5 million units out the door.
The company also claimed on its official Korean Web site that domestic sales achieved 67 percent of the mobile phone market. Samsung touted that the Galaxy Note was “ranked No. 1” in the Chinese, French, and Spanish markets too.
That’s all well and good, but I’ll take these numbers with a huge grain of salt. The post qualified the figures with a “supply base” term, a disclaimer indicating they represent units shipped and not precisely devices customers actually purchased. Quite possibly there are a lot of retailers out there with storerooms with a glut of the gadgets.
Samsung made similar statements about its Galaxy Tab Android tablet computers, also quoting global numbers and not sales figures in the U.S., then shortly after admitted to disappointing performance in the tablet market. Whatever the true situation is, I’ll view this as corporate saber rattling — until, that is, I see at least a few American Galaxy Note owners in the real world.
Update, 11:45 a.m.: Samsung has confirmed with us that the 5 million number represents global retail sales and not just shipments. This is an unusual move since the company usually offers shipment stats and not actually sales numbers.
