Recently, Qualcomm made a decision to halt one of the most expected products from getting to the tech market, the Snapdragon X Elite Developer Kit for Windows. What originally could have been useful for developers has transformed into a system where what you really did never actually happened.
A Promising Start—That Didn’t End Well
In May this year, Qualcomm unveiled and released for pre-order the Snapdragon X Elite Developer Kit and the actual shipping of products was due in June. This kit was intended to be a playground to the developers, enabling them to create Windows applications on ARM. And it featured the Snapdragon X Elite, a laptop-grade chip and numerous ports and other connections.
The Official Goodbye
The purchasers who ordered the networking kit received some good and bad information. Arrow immediately dispatched emails to buyers stating that a full refund would be made in 10 business days. And here’s the good part—those few who have been lucky enough to get their hands on the kit can keep it. No need to return anything.
In their email, Qualcomm confirmed the developer kit failed to meet their “standards of excellence.”
What is so special about Snapdragon X Elite?
The bad news is that the Snapdragon X Elite is no longer a developer kit – the good news is that it’s alive. That impressive chipset is already present in many laptops, including the Surface Pro and Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x. These laptops let developers and users get a glimpse of the Snapdragon X Elite.
However, the desire to see a small form-factor Snapdragon-based desktop computer akin to the Mac Mini has not materialized yet. There is an option for Microsoft called Windows Dev Kit with some older Snapdragon chip. However, the latest models are not available at the moment, and there doesn’t seem to be any chance that they’ll return in the near future.
Snapdragon processors may be the future of desktop computers.
When it comes to desktop hardware with ARM based processors one can sense that Qualcomm still tries to feel their way. While laptops are enjoying the Snapdragon upgrade, developers will have to wait longer if they want a mini desktop with the latest Snapdragon hardware.
I hope it is not the last we see of Qualcomm’s attempts at a desktop part forever. Well, maybe, someday we’ll have a snapdragon machine like Mac Mini that anyone can get and not only developers. Until then, I suppose it’s the Snapdragon laptops all the way and watching the Microsoft stock.
In Summary
The Snapdragon X Elite Developer Kit, by Qualcomm has been officially pulled, meaning refunds are available for buyers. While this developer box did not reach the finish line, Snapdragon X Elite is still making a splash in laptops. Here is the hope, which is that Qualcomm should try desktops again – because, taking it easy, we always welcome some stuff beyond laptops, powered by ARM.
For now, it’s a waiting game. But if Qualcomm does finally manage to whip up something as a tiny Snapdragon desktop one day, then it would be loyalty well spent.
