Samsung loses bid to lift ban on US tablet sales

Samsung's Galaxy touchscreen tablets are considered by many industry experts to be the main rival to the iPad, though they are currently a distant second to Apple's devices. Microsoft and Google are also preparing tablet offerings.

Even if Apple wins an injunction request on Galaxy S III, Samsung will have plenty of time to get around it.

Apple sold 13.6 million iPads in January-March to control 63 percent of the global tablet market, according to research from Display Search. Samsung sold 1.6 million tablets, giving it 7.5 percent of the market.

Samsung, which has various tablet line-ups with different sizes from 7 inches to 10.1 inches, introduced the Galaxy Tab 10.1 in June last year and unveiled an upgraded version, the Galaxy Tab 10.1 II, in May.

In smartphones, the banned Galaxy Nexus was introduced late last year, and Apple is also seeking a preliminary injunction of the Galaxy S III, the third generation of Samsung's flagship smartphone, which went on sale late last month in the U.S. market.

"The impact on Samsung is limited as shipment volume of Galaxy Tab 10.1 and Nexus are quite small," said Lee Sun-tae, an analyst at NH Investment & Securities.

"Even if Apple wins an injunction request on Galaxy S III, Samsung will have plenty of time to get around it, as it normally takes quite a long time for a court to process such requests."