Qualcomm Shows Off Snapdragon Dev Kit for Windows on Arm Development
by Ryan Smith on May 24, 2021 11:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Systems
- Snapdragon
- Qualcomm
- SoCs
- Windows 10
- Windows on Arm
Alongside today’s Snapdragon 7c Gen 2 SoC announcement, Qualcomm is also unveiling a new Windows 10-focused development kit. Collaborating with Microsoft, the two companies have put together the Snapdragon Developer Kit for Windows 10, which true to its name, is designed to serve as a dev kit for application authors to more easily test Windows 10 on Arm programs. The pint-sized PC is expected to be available this summer.
Overall, while devices based on Qualcomm’s Windows-capable Snapdragon SoCs have been around for a couple of years now, neither Qualcomm nor Microsoft have put together an official development kit for the platform. And though the idea of a development kit is somewhat foreign in the PC landscape where there is no one PC platform (x86 or otherwise), Qualcomm’s Windows on Arm (WoA) efforts hail from the mobile world, where dev kits and reference devices are common. So in an effort to better meet the needs of WoA application developers, whom until now have been stuck doing testing on laptops and tablets like the Surface Pro X, Qualcomm and Microsoft are putting together a proper mini-PC for developer testing.
At this point, Qualcomm isn’t saying too much about the PC itself, in part to give Microsoft something to announce as part of their Build conference later this week. However, given the timing of the announcement – as well as Qualcomm’s own comments on ensuring the dev kit remains affordable – it wouldn’t be too surprising to see the kit based around the new Snapdragon 7c Gen 2 SoC. Though the slowest of Qualcomm’s offerings, the 7c Gen 2 is also the cheapest option, and more than sufficient for basic compatibility testing.
Meanwhile a side-shot of the PC at least gives us a basic idea of what to expect for I/O. The right side of the box ha a single USB port, along with a SD card slot and a third, unknown card slot (SIM?).
The Snapdragon Developer Kit will go on sale this summer, with Microsoft selling the dev kit directly through their online store.
Source: Qualcomm
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melgross - Monday, May 24, 2021 - link
Looks like a big Apple TV.ikjadoon - Friday, May 28, 2021 - link
Yep.119 mm (W) x 116.6 mm (D) x 35 mm (H)
4.7" (W) x 4.6" (D) x 1.4" (H)
From the specification page: https://www.ecs.com.tw/en/Product/System/QC710/spe...
Ports are also listed now:
1 x USB 2.0 Type-C (PD-Charging)
1 x USB 2.0 Type-A
1 x MicroSD
1 x Micro-SIM card slot type
1 x USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-A
1 x HDMI
1 x LAN(10/100)
No default Wi-Fi, but can be added via PCIe.
mode_13h - Saturday, May 29, 2021 - link
> 1 x LAN(10/100)That's nuts. My PC mobo had gigabit Ethernet in 2005, and even Raspberry Pi got it in v3 rev 2.
My guess is that the chip shortage lead them to use whatever MAC they could source.
tipoo - Monday, May 24, 2021 - link
Kind of interested. There's some questions I imagine we just don't know yet. Is the bootloader unlocked, or is it really bolted down to be a single purpose device? I.e could you replace it with Linux.SarahKerrigan - Monday, May 24, 2021 - link
Realistically it'll be like every other Win/ARM64 device; it's plain EFI, Secure Boot can be disabled, you can boot whatever you want, but the Linux driver situation for Qualcomm hardware is dismal.ikjadoon - Monday, May 24, 2021 - link
> could you replace it with Linux.I gotta say, reading this comment on what’s meant to be a dev device for WoA is making me chuckle.
Microsoft, do you see how little investment you’ve put in Arm?
mode_13h - Monday, May 24, 2021 - link
> could you replace it with Linux.We really need a step up from the Raspberry Pi. I've been waiting to see some cheap mini PCs based on Qualcomm SoCs or maybe one of the others.
eastcoast_pete - Wednesday, May 26, 2021 - link
QC is not exactly famous for supporting Linux, to say it mildly. But, that leaves an opening for (maybe) Samsung and Mediately; both now have quite capable SoCs that are at minimum equivalent to the (gimped) 7cx. And, AFAIK, both have at least been somewhat supportive, shared drivers etc. A higher end Exynos or Dimensity wouldn't be half bad for Windows on ARM development, if MS would play along. And, if MS is smart, they would; the more SoCs run Windows on ARM, the better for MSmode_13h - Thursday, May 27, 2021 - link
Rockchip's RK3588 has some of us excited. They've showed up on SBCs before, and it's a quad-A76 SoC.Matthias B V - Monday, May 24, 2021 - link
Well let's see and hope Windows for ARM gets more traction and finally a thing.Microsoft took so long to even implement 64 Bit is is an mebarassement. I have the feeling Microsoft did not manage to execute anything under Nadella - not a single project proper and just lives from great market and takeovers.
In the long run that however is a bad sign and they should change their management.