iPhone, iPad sales numbers to be unveiled in court by Samsung, Apple doesn’t want that

It’s a new day today, which means we’re going to turn a new page in the U.S. Apple vs Samsung trial. The case, scheduled to go forward today with the testimonies of some Apple’s prominent figures including Phil Shiller, Apple’s Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing and Scott Forstall, Apple’s Senior Vice President of iOS Software, may reveal actual iPhone, iPad and iPod touch numbers.

Samsung wants to make public such numbers when cross examining Shiller – he has already testified for Apple a few days ago – but Apple would like the court to stop the Android device maker from sharing such data with the public:

According to Apple’s filing, the information includes sales summaries for the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch as well as tracking studies from the second quarter of 2011 and buyer surveys from last year. Apple made it clear that of the data it doesn’t want disclosed, the summaries of the sales data is most important.

“Without further action, these highly confidential exhibits will be publicly disclosed causing severe harm to Apple,” Apple’s lawyers wrote U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh, who is presiding over the case.

Apparently Samsung’s counsel, whose actions are already questioned by Judge Koh after rejected Samsung evidence from the trial was sent to members of the media a few days ago, notified Apple only late last night that it wants to use the documents in court.

Apple discloses total iPhone, iPad and iPod sales numbers during its quarterly earnings report, but the company never shares exactly how many devices were sold, per device.

Apple graphic from the trial | Image Credit: CNET

For example, this year the company is selling three iPhone models including the iPhone 3GS, the iPhone 4 and the iPhone 4S, without revealing how many sales each model gets each quarter. The same goes for the iPad – Apple is selling the iPad 2 and new iPad – and for the iPod touch, whose sales are included in the total number of iPod sales.

For connoisseurs of the mobile environment, the irony is obvious in this particular Samsung legal maneuver. The South Korean company has stopped revealing sales numbers for its smartphone and tablet businesses, and we rely on estimates and totals when reporting on Samsung’s mobile sales performance. But at the same time it would want to tell the public exactly how many iOS devices Apple sells – information it probably had access to, since these are the rules of the game.

It will certainly be interesting to see whether Judge Koh approves Apple’s motions to seal this information, so stay tuned for more Apple vs Samsung news. Assuming that Judge Koh does prevent Samsung to reveal those numbers, do you believe its attorneys will once again leak the information to the press?

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