Apple Inc. (AAPL): Who Says Domestic Markets Are Tapped Out?

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) has been getting beat up, and many have been digging the grave for Cupertino as a growth stock. The growing days are over, they say. Especially in the United States; there just isn’t a market out there to grab anymore. Growth will slow, and the wonderful days of Apple are behind it.  Well, maybe. But then again, new markets seem to continually open, and Apple may very well find a way to barrel through the door once it’s cracked open.

Image below: Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) iPhone

While it is not a huge deal considering the size of the carriers – certainly not a big deal compared to others involving Apple recently – it is a noteworthy addition for Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) and its iPhone. Early last month (we mean April, for those of you who haven’t changed your calendars yet), T-Mobile USA – which has recently merged with MetroPCS Communications Inc. (NYSE:PCS) – began carrying the three most recent models of the iPhone – the 4, the 4S and the 5 – for its customers.

Better late than never, right? With the recent merger of these two former competitors in the wireless telecom battles, the new deal opens up a new U.S. market, as the two carriers account for about 45 million subscribers.

Granted, that may not be many compared to the numbers that are seen by Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) and AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T), but for Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), any new consumer market that can open up as an opportunity for the company to grow can be seen as a welcome sight for Cupertino.

While the T-Mobile/MetroPCS alliance took a while for Apple to crack, this might at least break the ice in talks with China Mobile, the largest wireless carrier in the world – and iPhone free so far. It’s just a matter of taking the T-Mobile subscription numbers and multiplying it by about four to five. Not a big deal, right, to reach a deal with a company that has a subscriber base about the size of the U.S. adult population?

What do you think? Does this deal with T-Mobile/MetroPCS going to mean anything in the long-term for Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), or is this just another chance for some short-term market-share gains? In the U.S. market, how much might this matter? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

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