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Despite their hefty price tags and country-specific limitations, Apple iPhones have enjoyed considerable success in Costa Rica over the last few years. Android-powered mobile devices have been gradually eating away at the lion’s share of the smartphone market enjoyed by Apple in Costa Rica, but that dominance is now being threatened by the explosive growth of Microsoft Windows Phone in Latin America.

In August 2013, TechCrunch reported on the sheer growth of Windows Phone-powered devices, particularly Nokia Lumias. At that time, the Android mobile operating system had just surpassed Apple’s iOS. Alex Wilhelm commented on this rising trend:

Microsoft is gunning for volume while its low-cost handsets resonate in emerging markets, and while Windows Phone’s global aggregate market share is low, the platform is able to find traction in at least one hemisphere.

Not long after that announcement, the official blog of Microsoft Windows highlighted two Windows Phone apps developed in Costa Rica: PrometheusWrath and Carpooling Mate Finder, on which The Costa Rica Star has reported in depth. Months later, American Public Media’s Marketplace found that Microsoft’s mobile presence in Latin America caught both iOS and Android by surprise:

for the second straight quarter, sales of phone with the Microsoft system surpassed Apple’s iPhone and trailed only Android-based phones. In Chile alone, Windows Phone is up 50 percent over last quarter.

Pricing has been part of Nokia’s strategy to establish a foothold in the burgeoning Latin American market. In major regional segments, such as in Chile, the modest Nokia Lumia 520 can be found for as low as $60. In Costa Rica, the Lumia 520 is offered at no cost on certain subscription plans, but it starts at around $150 for cash or prepaid plan buyers.

Sales of Nokia Lumia smartphones in Costa Rica are quickly overtaking the iPhone for various reasons:

1. Nokia and Windows are trusted brands in Costa Rica.
2. Nokia’s marketing strategy in Costa Rica, which includes live, in-store demonstrations combined and targeted pursuit of business users who are abandoning BlackBerry en masse, is paying off.
3. Smartphone buyers who purchase low-end Android smartphones are quickly disappointed and seek other options.

Microsoft’s recent update to Windows Phone 8.l is getting positive reviews, particularly for its Cortana virtual assistant. Cortana is emerging as a clear contender to Apple’s Siri and Google Now, but “she” will not speak Spanish until 2015.