Qualcomm kills its Snapdragon Dev Kit: refunds all orders with stumbled Windows on Arm push

Qualcomm has killed off its Snapdragon Dev Kit out of nowhere, with the huge Snapdragon on Windows and Windows on Arm projects taking a huge hit, with all orders being cancelled, and refunded immediately.

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The company has killed its Snapdragon Dev Kit "indefinitely" in an email received by Jeff Gerling, who received an email from Arrow regarding the Snapdragon Developer Kit for Windows. This should come as no surprise to... well... virtually everyone because Windows on Arm is virtually useless outside of browsing, media consumption, very light gaming, and some work.

x86 processors are everywhere, while Arm-based processors are great for laptops, smartphones, and tablets... they're useless as desktop processors and laptop processors.

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This requires users to use Windows on Arm and not the regular x86 version of Windows, so you have to run native Arm apps or run them through emulation... not great, and Qualcomm can throw as much money as it wants at the Snapdragon on Windows platform, it hasn't worked for the company for the last 5-8 yearrs, and it's not working now.

• Read more: Qualcomm 'Snapdragon Dev Kit' with Snapdragon X Elite has peak 80W TDP, portable enclosure
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The email explained:

"Dear Valued Customer,

Please see this important message from Qualcomm:

"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. Qualcomm has authorized a refund for any charges that have been made by Arrow."

Based upon the above, we are working to provide a full refund for any charges to your account for your purchase. You should receive this credit/refund within 10 business days. It is not necessary to return any material, if received. Unfortunately, any outstanding orders will be cancelled.

Thank you for your understanding, Arrow".