Qualcomm has canceled the Windows on ARM PC development kit, also known as the Snapdragon X Elite Developer Kit. Refunds have been issued, sales have been discontinued, and support for the kit has ended, The Verge reports. It was originally scheduled to ship in June, but was postponed.
In an email to customers, Qualcomm explained that the problem was all due to quality control. The company said the Mini PC “overall did not meet our usual standards of excellence” and that “we have made the decision to suspend this product and its support indefinitely.” Interestingly, some kits were already being mailed to consumers. All items will be refunded, including items that have already been shipped.
As previously mentioned, this was originally scheduled to launch in June alongside the chips found in the first Copilot Plus PCs. Qualcomm did not say why it took several months to decide to cancel the product.
Developer Jeff Geerling received the kit, disassembled it, and reviewed it. He said it was a “thud” hit and blamed the lack of Linux support and resale restrictions. Geerling also noticed that the unit is missing an HDMI port, even though it has a full chip for internal DisplayPort to HDMI conversion.
Some speculate that this HDMI port issue caused production delays and ultimately led to its cancellation. To that end, Qualcomm sent an email to customers last month informing them that they would be shipping development kits with a USB-C to HDMI dongle instead of a traditional HDMI port.
Whatever the reason for the cancellation, this kit was supposed to be an important piece of hardware to help developers port their apps to Windows on Arm. Microsoft and Qualcomm are encouraging developers to prepare their apps for Snapdragon X Elite laptops.
