Something odd happened to Qualcomm's Snapdragon Dev Kit, an $899 mini PC powered by Windows 11 and the company's latest Snapdragon X Elite processor. Qualcomm decided to abruptly discontinue the product, refund all orders (including for those with units on hand), and cease its support, claiming the device "has not met our usual standards of excellence."
Here is what the email Qualcomm sent to customers says (via XDA):
At Qualcomm, we are dedicated to pioneering leading technology and delivering premium experiences to our valued customers. The launch of 30+ Snapdragon X-series powered PC's is a testament to our ability to deliver leading technology and the PC industry's desire to move to our next-generation technology. However, the Developer Kit product comprehensively has not met our usual standards of excellence and so we are reaching out to let you know that unfortunately we have made the decision to pause this product and the support of it, indefinitely.
Working with the developer community is a priority for Qualcomm. If you want to learn more about Windows on Snapdragon, please engage with us on Discord or head to our developer portal on Qualcomm.com. If you are ready to build your next gen AI PC application, visit the Qualcomm Device Cloud (QDC) today.
While it is definitely strange to see Qualcomm pulling the plug on its Dev Kit, developers and customers have no shortage of Windows on ARM devices with a Snapdragon X Elite processor (even though the Dev Kit had a unique SKU with the highest clock speeds). Also, Qualcomm promised more devices soon, so we should see additional form factors with ARM chips, such as all-in-ones, mini PCs, and more, not just laptops and tablets.
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