BlackBerry OS Surpassed iOS Internet Usage In U.S.BlackBerry OS Surpassed iOS Internet Usage In U.S.

StatCounter's numbers indicate that BlackBerry OS accounted for 34.3% of mobile internet users in November, beating Apple iOS's 33% of mobile internet users.

In the U.S., the iOS used to have a commanding 51.9% lead over all other mobile OSes. It has fallen rapidly from 51.9% to 33% since November 2009.

At the same time, Google's Android platform has ramped up its share by a factor of three. In November 2009, it had just 8.2% of the mobile internet traffic and by November 2010 it had risen to 23.8% -- apparently to the detriment of iOS's market share.

"These figures suggest that developers should not be developing solely for the iPhone to the exclusion of BlackBerry and Android," commented Aodhan Cullen, CEO, StatCounter.

It's important to note that these numbers don't reflect the worldwide picture. Globally, Nokia's Symbian still leads with 31.9%. Apple's iOS comes in second globally with 21.9%. BlackBerry OS lands in third place, with 19.3% of mobile internet traffic worldwide. Android holds 11.6%.

Wondering where Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 is? It's too early to include in such data. Cullen noted, "This data demonstrates that there is a battle royal already going on in the smartphone market for the consumer and business internet user. You can never underestimate Microsoft but it looks to have its work cut out."

StatCounter said it came by this data by analyzing the page views across 3 million different web sites. It only refers to iOS, and not specifically to the iPhone, so it is unclear if StatCounter is including traffic from other iOS devices, such as the iPad and iPod Touch, in this comparison.