IDC: Apple skimmed the smartphone cream in Q2

The highlights of IDC’s mobile phone report for the second quarter of 2014 don’t bode well for the also rans, Microsoft (MSFT) and Blackberry (BBRY):

301.3 million smartphones shipped, up 25.3% year over year
255.3 million Androids shipped, up 33.3%
35.2 million iPhones shipped, up 12.7%
7.4 million Windows Phones shipped, down 9.4%
1.5 million Blackberries shipped, down 78%

All told, Google’s (GOOG) Android and Apple’s iOS accounted for 96.4% of the units shipped, according to IDC.

“It’s been an incredible upward slog for other OS players,” said IDC’s Melissa Chau.

What she didn’t say — but the attached chart implies — is that it hasn’t exactly been a walk in the woods for the dominant Android makers either.

According to IDC, 58.6% of all Android smartphone shipments worldwide cost less than $200 off contract. So while Android has been “reaping huge gains within emerging markets,” in the words of IDC’s Ramon Llamos, it hasn’t been yielding huge profits.

Apple meanwhile continued to skim the cream off the smartphone market in what is historically its slowest quarter of the year. From IDC’s press release:

For the past two years, third quarter volumes received a boost from shipments of [Apple] new devices towards the end of the quarter, resulting in slightly higher volumes compared to the second quarter. Whether or not this happens again this year remains to be seen, especially with the anticipated arrival of large-screen iPhones.

Below: IDC’s Q2 2014 spreadsheet.