T-Mobile sells 1.5 million G1 pre-orders

T-Mobile will immediately launch into direct competition with iPhone-level sales numbers when the Android-based G1 goes on sale in just over a week, according to claims by the Motley Fool. The carrier has reportedly not only sold out its initial pre-order allotment but a three times larger second wave as well; the tally sets aside 1.5 million G1s just for existing customers willing to buy the device without a first hands-on.

As many as two million of the first Google-driven phones have also been set aside for retail buyers, which will be limited to 3G areas but which include New York City and other high-profile locations.

The quantity is thought to have forced stepped up production from HTC and would give T-Mobile 3.5 million handset sales over roughly the space of its first quarter of sales, giving the phone release numbers more comparable to the iPhone 3G. The release is crucial both for Google, which is seeking acceptance of the first device with Android, as well as T-Mobile, which is offering the G1 as its first potential rival to Apple's handset.

Reasons for the sudden spike are unknown, though the handset is one of the few outside of the iPhone to have a smartphone operating system designed for touchscreens and includes both a full HTML web browser as well as an App Store-like Android Market portal for downloading third-party software.

Filed under: iPhone, industry, mobile phones, Apple
Other story tags: Google, T-Mobile, Android