Apple has a problem with iPhone sales in select European countries, says a recent Wall Street Journal report. The problem isn't with the hardware or even distribution, but pricing and carrier subsidies. In the US, the iPhone is affordable to many people because the carrier foots the bill for the cost of the phone. On most US carriers, the entry-level 16 GB iPhone 4S model sells for US$199 with a two-year customer agreement. Without a contract, the price of the phone balloons to $649. That price difference is shouldered by the carrier which hopes to recoup the up-front loss over the course of the contract. Sprint is an
