This surely is a love-hate relationship, if ever there was one.
Sales people are expected to be brand-neutral and objective with their sales advice. But we all know, in the real world, this isn't true. They are going to steer you towards the product, where they make the most $$ on. I can only speculate here, but maybe they make more money on non-APPLE phones, at lower initial outlay for the consumer, which is an easier 'sell', plus more frequent repeat sales? Or perhaps, they are staying deliberately below the target, to 'convince' APPLE, those targets are unrealistic?
This is something APPLE must loathe, but really can do very little about. $23.5 Billion at the average quoted price of 613/unit translates to over 38 million new iPhones a year, or an average of 9.5 million per quarter. Even for VERIZON, the largest US carrier, that is an aggressive target. Of course, VERIZON knew this when they entered into that contract. With this forecasted shortfall, there are no winners here. If APPLE insists on holding VER to that contract, VER might balk at, and refuse subsequent agreements like these. If, on the other hand APPLE let's VER off the hook, they are opening a can of worms, as far as dealing with the other carriers is concerned.