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Qualcomm has cancelled the Snapdragon Dev Kita, a compact desktop PC that was supposed to help developers build native ARM apps for Windows.
An email sent to Jeff Geerling and other buyers said the $899 computer didn’t meet Qualcomm’s “usual standards” and that refunds would be sent to customers who’d been charged in any way for their purchases. Owners won’t have to return their systems, but yet-to-ship orders will be cancelled.
Developers affected by the move are encouraged to use the Qualcomm Device Cloud (QDC) to build ARM-ready Windows apps. They should also be able to use production computers like Microsoft’s Surface Laptop 7.
Qualcomm announced the Snapdragon Dev Kit in May 2024 as way to foster Microsoft’s Copilot+ PC initiative. The Mac mini-like design centered on the fastest variant of the Snapdragon X Elite chip and theoretically gave programmers all the tools they needed to write apps.
In practice, Geerling and others called the Snapdragon desktop PC a “missed opportunity.” It shipped with Windows 11 Home, not Pro, so developers had to pay extra to get frequent must-haves like Active Directory Support and Remote Desktop server.? It also didn’t offer much more performance than a comparable laptop despite consuming much more power (up to 100W versus 30W) and generating excessive noise.
Crucially, Qualcomm also appears to have made some design missteps that led to lengthy delays and developer-hostile features. The Dev Kit was originally pitched as offering internal HDMI, but that was quietly pulled. The company even removed the according dongle from the box.?Windows Weekly podcast guest Richard Campbell theorized that the HDMI port might have created FCC compliance headaches, but Qualcomm has yet to confirm its involvement.
What Happens to Windows on ARM Without the Snapdragon Dev Kit PC?
This certainly isn’t the end for Windows on ARM. QDC gives developers a virtual test platform if they can’t justify buying hardware, and there’s now a wide range of ARM systems that should serve as adequate testbeds.
However, the cancellation still makes it harder to develop for Windows on ARM than it is for x86, not to mention for ARM-based Macs. You can’t just buy a reference desktop like you can with x86 or the Mac.
It’s also notable that this comes shortly before Apple is rumored to introduce an M4 Mac mini that could both outperform comparable Snapdragon X computers and serve as a relatively affordable macOS developer kit. It’s unlikely that software teams will completely drop Windows-on-ARM support or switch focus to the Mac as a result, but they may be more inclined to rethink their stances if the barriers to entry change.
