AT&T: iPhone 3G selling twice as fast as original

The exclusive iPhone carrier in the U.S. says the new handset is flying off its shelves; meanwhile, lines for the iPhone 3G continue to form outside Apple Stores.

The Silicon Alley Insider reports that during AT&T's quarterly earnings call Tuesday, carrier execs crowed that—so far, at least—sales for the new iPhone (click here for my full review) are "nearly double" compared to last year's original model.

The Insider notes that AT&T didn't reveal any specific numbers to back up the boast (we'll probably have to wait until next quarter's earnings call for details). Last week, Apple announced that it sold a million iPhone 3Gs in just three (chaotic) days, although critics noted that Apple counted all units shipped to carriers as sales.

Still, the iPhone 3G has been selling out across the country, leaving Apple Stores scrambling to replenish their inventories. Anxious customers are still waiting hours in line for a chance to buy the new iPhone (with the black 16GB being the hardest to come by), while it's taking AT&T outlets up to two weeks to fill orders.

Overall, it looks like Apple and AT&T's gambit worked: The cheaper $199/$299 iPhone 3G proved to be irresistible to customers, despite the fact that steeper rate plans pretty much erased any potential savings.

Meanwhile, many who passed on the first-gen iPhone clearly decided that the 3G, GPS-equipped version (and Exchange-compatible, to boot) was ripe for the picking.

Combine all that with a worldwide, simultaneous debut in 21 countries (the first iPhone had a U.S.-only launch last June), and we've got the makings of a sellout on our hands—not to mention egg on the face of a certain Yahoo! Tech blogger who'd assured readers that "shortages are unlikely." (He's sorry.)

Related:
AT&T Posts Solid Q2 In "Challenging" Environment, Says It's Selling New iPhones Twice As Fast As Old iPhones [Silicon Valley Insider]