The 1 million sales mark is a pretty good barometer in determining early success, popularity, and consumer interest in a particular smartphone model. Obviously it has its pitfalls in that gauging such short term success ignores longevity and overall success but it does serve us pretty well when the G1 is such a solid performer.
Taking a look at the chart (via Engadget) it looks like the T-Mobile G1 comes in at a solid 3rd place–which is already a magnificent feat. But upon closer inspection we must realize the odds stacked against our most loved device. The iPhone 3G sold a million units in 3 days because it released in 21 countries simultaneously. Likewise, the Nokia 5800 is certain to have similar massive worldwide appeal. Our G1 numbers come strictly from the United States. No foreign help necessary.
Combine the fact that AT&T and Verizon, which are exclusive carriers to the iPhone 3G and Blackberry Storm respectively, are the MOST POPULAR carriers in the US while T-Mobile is a distant 4th–the sales numbers of the G1 become even more incredible.
This is almost writing itself into an underdog story. The G1 has been an unequivocal success for T-Mobile–it didn’t launch in multiple countries nor is part of a larger network yet it still manages to perform pretty favorably. Good job G1!