Verizon Wireless announced today that it has sold more than 3 million of the LG Choco

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By Phil Carson
Story posted: September 18, 2007 - 1:59 pm EDT

Verizon Wireless said today that in the 12 months since it launched the LG Chocolate in the United States it has sold more than 3.4 million units—an obvious comparison to the one million units-per-quarter performance of Apple Inc.’s iPhone, which sells at rival carrier AT&T Mobility.

That’s an average rate of about 850,000 Chocolate handsets per quarter, which compares well with Apple’s stated intent to sell one million iPhones in the third quarter—the first quarter for iPhone sales—which it reached Sept. 10.

Verizon Wireless’ announcement, while falling into the “me too” category, is interesting because it takes some of the media-driven mystique out of Apple’s stated goal of one million units in the iPhone’s first quarter on the market. Apple’s iPhone sales would have to remain steady for a year to allow an “apples-to-apples” (no pun intended) comparison with Verizon Wireless’ sales of the Chocolate.

Apple clearly facilitated media attention to its unit-volume goals by stating them up front, then meeting them. That sort of chutzpah has been largely avoided by incumbent handset vendors and their operator partners.

Verizon Wireless sells the Chocolate at its retail and online stores, as well as through mass-market, consumer electronics chains. Apple sells the iPhone through its flagship stores as well as through AT&T Mobility’s retail and online stores. Media reports have speculated that Apple sells as many as eight times as many iPhones as AT&T Mobility does, but neither of the partners has publicly addressed this disparity.