According to November 2010 data from The Nielsen Company, Apple has retained its lead in the U.S. smartphone market despite the significant gains made by Android OS. The data, as published by GigaOM, shows Apple’s iOS leading the U.S. smartphone market with a 28.6 percent share, up slightly from 27.9 percent in October. RIM’s BlackBerry OS fell from 27.4 percent in October to 26.1 percent in November, while Android OS jumped to 25.8 percent in November, up from 22.7 percent in October and 15 percent in June. Notably, these numbers represent overall market and not just new purchases; Android OS is leading among recent acquirers with a 40.8 percent share, compared to iOS with 26.9 percent and RIM with 19.2 percent. The report suggests that the numbers show an inability on RIM’s part to connect with new users, while Android’s growth could put it on track to pass iOS within the next few months; the report also notes that the release of an iPhone on Verizon should boost iPhone sales and could therefore alter the near-term market share trajectories of both iOS and Android. [via MDN]