Key Points
- Qualcomm halts its Snapdragon PC Developer Kit program
- The kit didn’t meet “standards of excellence,” per Qualcomm
- Refunds are being issued for unfulfilled orders
- Qualcomm discontinues support for existing units
Qualcomm, which figures prominently in the Windows ecosystem based on Arm architecture, has also terminated its Snapdragon PC Developer Kit, designed to assist developers in transitioning to the Arm environment.
This kit was presented as a mini PC earlier in 2024, and it aimed to assist developers in creating and optimizing applications for Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon X series of CPUs.
Nevertheless, the company has now suspended the program for an indefinite period of time without specifying any standards of excellence when launching it.
The Snapdragon X CPUs were Qualcomm’s major thrust into the Windows-powered platforms and were instrumental in Microsoft debuting the world’s first Artificial Intelligence computers in June 2024.
Qualcomm wished to make certain that the developers had the requisite hardware to create applications to make the developer kit affordable so that the users did not have to buy a laptop powered by a Snapdragon X processor.
At $899, it was seen as a good price entry point for developers particularly when most Snapdragon X laptops and above $1400.
Qualcomm cancels Snapdragon Dev Kit, refunds all orders https://t.co/GD3XaRZnW6 pic.twitter.com/q8SjAj58hQ
— Jeff Geerling (@geerlingguy) October 17, 2024
Designers and Developers’ Issues and Feedback
The developer community received the termination notice as news. One developer of the company Jeff Geerling even posted an email by the Qualcomm team who elaborated termination, stating that the product was not up to the company’s standards.
However, although no specific or concrete reasons as to why the kit failed were given, developers like Geerling brought several out.
The kit’s release ran behind Geerling promised receiving it in July to only get it in September. Also, when he cut open the device to investigate its inner workings, some carpentry decisions made him scratch his head.
For instance, a DDR21 memory module had a space where an HDMI port was supposed to sit, while a DisplayPort-to-HDMI adapter still was on the shelf waiting to be used. There is always an internal cable connector when an HDMI port is on the case, therefore one of the reasons for the delays is likely related to the missing port.
As a result, these hardware frenzies coupled with the launch delay provided a view about the state of the product, that it was never launch-ready.
The telecommunication and technology news site ‘Ars Technica’ made an additional emphasis on the reasons of the cancellation, stating that now developers, who have already bought the kit do not have support from the company.
Refunds and Fallout
To date, Qualcomm has not received much media coverage regarding the device and in order to prevent reputational damage, the company has decided to issue refunds for all past orders.
Those who received the kit already are free to keep it, however, there will be no more further developments or technical support given out by the company.
This choice may place developers in a difficult position as they will have to seek external assistance or alternate methods to keep using the kit.
The cancellation marks a major blow to Qualcomm’s attempts at gaining the confidence of developers for its Arm-based Windows platform.
The Snapdragon X chips have potential but bringing this developer kit program to an untimely close calls into question the capacity of Qualcomm to nurture the growing sociocultural crowd that is willing to develop on this architecture.
Furthermore, as the Arm ecosystem expands, Qualcomm’s blunder with the developer kit is a case in point of the problems that arise in switching from one architecture to another.
Developers depend on tools and support that are dependable in nature. The program’s cancellation is likely to dissuade some users from venturing into the Arm-for-Windows terrain when competing alternatives abound.
