Qualcomm has made the decision to discontinue its Windows on ARM PC development kit, known as the Snapdragon X Elite Developer Kit. Reports from The Verge indicate that sales have ceased, support has been halted, and refunds are being processed for all customers, including those who had already received their kits.
Quality Control Concerns
In a communication to customers, Qualcomm attributed the cancellation to quality control issues, stating that the mini PC “comprehensively has not met our usual standards of excellence.” The company has opted to pause the product and its support indefinitely, a move that raises questions about the underlying challenges faced during its development.
The kit was initially slated for release in June, coinciding with the launch of the chips that powered the first Copilot Plus PCs. However, the timeline shifted, and it took several months for Qualcomm to arrive at the decision to cancel the product altogether. Developer Jeff Geerling, who received one of the kits, conducted a teardown and review, describing the experience as landing “with a thud.” He highlighted significant drawbacks, including the absence of Linux support and resale restrictions, as well as a surprising omission of an HDMI port, despite the presence of the necessary chips for an internal DisplayPort to HDMI conversion.
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Speculation has arisen that the HDMI port issue may have contributed to the production delays and ultimately the cancellation of the kit. Last month, Qualcomm informed customers of their intention to ship the dev kit with a USB-C to HDMI dongle instead of a traditional HDMI port, a change that may not have been well-received.
This development kit was anticipated to play a pivotal role in assisting developers in porting applications to Windows on ARM, a project that has garnered support from both Microsoft and Qualcomm. As the tech landscape evolves, the implications of this cancellation will likely ripple through the developer community, leaving many to reconsider their strategies for adapting to Snapdragon X Elite laptops.
