Intel is closing down its homebrewed app store on March 11, blaming a change in consumer interest for the move.
Apps that have been downloaded that communicate with the store will stop working on May 15, 2015, and will stop altogether if users uninstall the client.
Intel said that apps that don’t have to communicate with the store will still work, but they will have to be opened separately.
"At Intel, we’re always thinking about tomorrow, which sometimes means making changes today. That’s why we’ll be closing Intel AppUp on March 11th, 2014 to focus on other groundbreaking platform innovations" said a message on the AppUp website.
"As part of this closure your AppUp Center Customer Account Registration Agreement also will terminate effective March 11th, 2014."
An Intel spokesperson told Techcrunch: "When we started AppUp it was to cater to a unique need for consumers at the time. I think it served its purpose when were there new emerging devices [such as Ultrabooks] that needed apps, but now we see a change for consumer needs and so we’re directing our resources elsewhere. We have decided to realign and focus services on businesses — the needs of of enterprises and business users."
Intel’s AppUp store for Windows apps opened in January 2010 but enjoyed minimal popularity despite Intel claiming a new user signed up for AppUp "every 56 seconds." However, this number could have been down to the platform shipping on laptops pre-installed. Lenovo shipped some of its Thinkpads with the store.
AppUp managed to reach 60 countries worldwide, and in 2011, a $100 million AppUp fund was announced to try and encourage developers to make apps for the store.
Intel has put in place a strong exit strategy though, with customers getting refunds for paid apps until December 19, 2014
