14 DAY TRIAL // Today, Microsoft has closed the gates on its Windows Marketplace for Mobile 6.x, the application portal that was released back in 2009 to accompany the Windows Mobile 6.5 operating system.
The Redmond-based software giant announced plans to close the application storefront back in March this year, and it has constantly reminded users on the matter.
Through shutting down the Windows Marketplace for Mobile 6.x, Microsoft no longer provides users of older devices with the possibility to download or update applications.
However, the owners of such devices will still be able to find software to download via the official websites of developers who created the Windows Mobile applications.
“Starting on this date, you will no longer be able to browse, buy or download applications directly on your Windows Mobile 6.x phone using the Windows Mobile 6.x Marketplace application and service,” Microsoft announced.
However, users will still be able to take advantage of the apps and games that they have already installed on their devices, provided that they don’t perform a hard reset.
Resetting the device would cause all “phone data, including applications acquired through the Windows Mobile 6.x Marketplace service, data and user-specific settings” to be deleted.
Microsoft stopped accepting new applications in the Windows Marketplace for Mobile in July last year, when it also blocked developers from making changes to prices, metadata or other information.
Windows Mobile has lost a lot of users lately, and it was only a matter of time before Microsoft made steps towards burying it entirely.
At the moment, the software company is focused on pushing the newer Windows Phone platform to the top of the smartphone OS market. Later this year, it is expected to release the next-gen Windows Phone 8 operating system iteration, with high-end features inside and support for powerful hardware.
The newer platform is accompanied by the Windows Phone Marketplace portal, which currently has over 90,000 applications and games available for download.