Android has been gaining steam in the mobile market recently, and new data from comScore says it has surpassed Apple to become the number two operating system in the U.S.

The Wall Street Journal reported that for a three month period ending in November, Android snagged 26 percent of the market and Apple trailed close behind with 25 percent. RIM's BlackBerry is still the number one platform, capturing 33.5 percent of the market. However, this is a decline from the 37.6 share that BlackBerry snagged in August.

That comes down to a gain of 6.4 percent gain for Android. On the other hand, Apple added just 0.8 percent to its share and BlackBerry slipped by 4.1 percent.

However, Google's platform is divvied out across many different devices, while Apple's iOS is specific to the iPhone.

But reports have continued to surface that Apple will produce a CDMA iPhone for Verizon's network sometime this spring. At this point, the iPhone is still supported exclusively by AT&T. While none of these rumors have come true yet, if and when they do, it could result in a surge in iPhone ownership.

A recent report said that Apple is restricting vacation time for retail employees, which means Apple could be preparing for a significant product update. Whether that will include a Verizon iPhone remains to be seen.

Recent data from Nielsen has said that Android is the leading mobile OS among new smartphone users. About 40 precent of those who bought a smartphone in the last six months opted for an Android-based device.

Nielsen's State of the Media 2010 report said that almost a third (31 percent) of mobile users now have a smartphone. But with 69.1 percent still opting for feature phones, the competition between mobile platforms could continue to heat up.