Samsung Electronics Co. said Sunday it has sold more than 600,000 units of its tablet PC globally just a month after its launch.

The 7-inch Galaxy Tab was first released in Italy in mid-October, challenging the global dominance of Apple Inc.’s 9.7-inch iPad.

The Galaxy Tab is now available in more than 30 countries in North America, Europe and Asia.

In Korea, about 30,000 units have been sold since its Nov. 14 launch through SK Telecom. 

Weighing less than a kilogram, the Android-run mobile computer carries voice functions, wireless and 3G network connections, and an ability to run Adobe Flash software, on top of regular mobile phone features such as a camera, music and video.

Samsung said consumer demand for its Galaxy Tab has been robust, outpacing supply in most countries.

The brisk sale boosted its confidence to meet the goal of selling 1 million units this year.

“We believe tablet PCs will take over a bigger portion of the market next year,” Samsung’s mobile division head Shin Jong-kyun said at the IFA gadget expo in Berlin in September. “For this year, we’re projecting to sell up to 1 million units.”

The burgeoning tablet PC market is becoming increasingly crowded as other competitors such as Research in Motion, Hewlett-Packard, Motorola are rolling out their own products.

Apple has sold about 7.5 million iPad units globally since its April launch, brushing off skepticism that tablet PCs would not fill the gap between smartphones and computers.

It took about 95 percent of the world market in the third quarter, according to Boston-based research and consulting firm Strategy Analytics.

In Korea, the American tech giant is slated to begin sales on Nov. 30. Apple’s local distributor KT Corp. said it has taken more than 40,000 pre-orders in less than a week.

By Shin Hyon-hee (heeshin@heraldcorp.com)