According to October 2010 data released today by The Nielsen Company, Apple’s iPhone and Research In Motion’s BlackBerry are in a statistical dead heat for the lead in the U.S. smartphone market. The iPhone has a slight edge, with 27.9 percent of the market compared to BlackBerry’s 27.4 percent; Google’s Android OS sits in third with 22.7 percent. Both iPhone and Android hold a significant lead when it comes to the most desired smartphone operating system, with 30 percent of mobile users planning to upgrade to a smartphone in the next year choosing iPhone and 28 percent choosing Android, while only 13 percent said they were most likely to purchase a BlackBerry. Broken down further, women were more likely to choose an iPhone over an Android device, 30.9 percent to 22.8 percent, while men were more likely to choose Android, with Google’s OS accounting for 32.6 percent of responses, compared to 28.6 percent for iPhone. iPhone also held an edge in the 18-24, 25-34, and 55+ age groups, and was more desirable to current smartphone owners than owners of featurephones.