Countering the reports that the sales of the Verizon iPhone 4 were falling short of the carrier's expectations, Verizon Wireless CEO Daniel Mead recently stated that the initial sales of the handset had surpassed those of any other product in the company's history.

Even though the specific sales figures of the Verizon iPhone will be disclosed only at the carrier's next earnings release, Mead's statement comes in the wake of media observations that the huge crowds that have usually greeted the earlier launches of the iPhone were missing at the Verizon iPhone launch.

With reports indicating that the Verizon iPhone launch witnessed modest crowds at best at some high-profile locations in big cities, Mead rebuffed these reports, arguing that the modest store queues for the Verizon iPhone were because of heavy online sales and an intentional strategy aimed at widening the purchasing activity.

Mead further revealed that more than 60 percent of the Verizon iPhone sales occurred online, and elaborated that if Verizon had not taken the online route for selling the handset, the sales scenario would have been "much different."

About the staggering launch of the Verizon iPhone, with pre-orders to existing customers offered on February 3, and store sales beginning a week later, Mead said that the move of spreading the launch over three phases was a conscious decision by the carrier, so as to ensure that the buyers have a smooth purchase experience.