Verizon Wireless confirmed today that it has sold 1 million BlackBerry Storm handsets to date since the newest Research in Motion device debut on November 21, 2008 -- just a little over two months ago.

The one million mark is a valuable assessment as the Storm was hyped as the top iPhone competitor.

Not a bad sales pace as earlier rumored predictions had the figure at 500,000 or so.

But nowhere near the pace Apple has set with its iPhone.

Apple sold 4.4 million iPhones in its first fiscal quarter ended December 27, 2008, for a total of 13.7 million units. That put it well past the 10 million unit goal in 2008 that Apple had set for it.

RIM and Verizon Wireless have their work cut out if they expect to catch up.

Going forward Morgan Stanley expects 27 million iPhones to be sold 2009.