The Apple Inc. (AAPL) iPhone Can’t Fix T MOBILE US INC (TMUS)’s Identity Crisis

On Sprint Nextel Corporation (NYSE:S) it costs $100. On T-Mobile, a subscriber would pay the full retail price of $650 … or have the option of putting $146 down and financing the rest at $21 a month for 24 months.

But wait. Isn’t that second option the same as a two-year contract on the other carriers? Even the “uncarrier” has a carrier-like pricing plan.

Also, will the iPhone continue to keep its allure in the U.S.? In Western Europe, it is continuing to lose out to Android phones. According to market researcher IDC, Apple’s market share in the first quarter of the year fell from 25% to 20% over the same period last year. Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG)‘s Android OS-driven smartphones took a 69% market share, up from 55% in Q1 2012.

And in India, Apple is really taking it on the chin. Android phones have a 90% share there, according to IDC. Lower cost smartphones are the big sellers in India, a segment that Apple hasn’t yet addressed.

Bottom line: iPhones still have a large, if not a majority, share of the U.S. smartphone market. But it is obvious, as shown around the world, that Apple doesn’t have the same grip. It is also clear that if the iPhone is not the magic bullet for T-Mobile, the company can’t rely on its “uncarrier” disguise for more market traction.

The article The iPhone Can’t Fix T-Mobile’s Identity Crisis originally appeared on Fool.com is written by Dan Radovsky.

Fool contributor Dan Radovsky owns shares of AT&T. The Motley Fool recommends and owns shares of Apple and Google.

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