According to the latest Nielsen report, Android and iPhone make up majority of the U.S smartphone market. Both Android phones and iPhone did not exist or were not popular about 5 years ago, and were introduced into a Nokia and Blackberry dominated market. Since then Google and Apple have become fierce competitors and the data proves that they are in fact, at the top of the smartphone market. According to the report, Android’s increase in market share was a whopping 53% from January to October, up from a solid 42%. Apple’s iOS, although trailing behind Android also experienced an increase, from 21% to 29%.

With Android and Apple leading the pack, Blackberry’s RIM has been seeing a steady decline in shares, holding on to only 11.6 percent of the smartphone market, which is substantially less than both Android and Apple. Other smartphone companies, such as Motorola once held over 36% of the smartphone market but have since dropped to below 1%, as of March 2009. This is due in large part to Apple’s massive success with the iPhone’s adoption, selling more of the device each quarter and the widespread adoption of Android OS in a number of smartphones, including Motorola’s Droid line.

Nielsen’s report also mentioned new smartphone purchases, where 48 percent of users surveyed in February said they purchased an Android phone and 43% said they purchased an iPhone. These are staggering numbers, especially since both of these companies have not faltered with their takeover of the U.S smartphone market and have increased their annual revenue with each passing year.

However, AppleInsider are quoting a report from StatCounter which shows that Blackberry is ahead of the iPhone, for the first time ever, in internet usage.

RIM’s Blackberry OS had 34.3% of web browsing share in November, and Apple had 33.3%. Whilst Android increased its overall web browsing share from 8.2% last year to 23.8% this year. By comparison Apple was at 51.9% last year. Which is a rather large drop for them in 2010. Or is it? It is after all only a percentage. So in actual fact the amount of iPhones browsing the web has still increased, just not as dramatically as that of Android.

Globally Nokia still has the largest browser share, which is not surprising as it has mobile phone all over the world which have been selling for years. So its installed base alone still buoys its user base. But similarly to Apple in the US its overall share has dropped, and it now shares that with Apple at 21.9%, RIM at 19.3% and Android at 11.6%.

So the market is growing for all, as well as levelling off for the leaders.

The answer to the title of this piece? It’s too close to call. Apple and RIM are neck and neck in the US. What do you think? Have your say in the comments below.