Sonos contributing to electronic waste

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114 replies

N
Userlevel 6
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It isn't fair; not because I believe what Sonos, now formally a for profit corporate, says about sustainability, but because I don't see how their “promoting” bricking of working units is hostile to the environment. 

I have some old Sonos kit - Connect/Connect Amps. Paying 70% of the cost of new equivalents to get the same functionality - for the most part - makes no sense to me. So I would ignore the offer at no cost to the environment via electronic waste.

 

Sonos has always been for profit, they've never been a non profit afaik.... But I think I get what you are implying

 

N
Userlevel 6
Badge +5

I think it is interesting that the Connect is on the list of things to be bricked by the recycle program while at the same time is still being sold on the Sonos site. It is no wonder that this program has some public perception issues.

I thought it was only the zp80/90 version? 

 

U

I think it is interesting that the Connect is on the list of things to be bricked by the recycle program while at the same time is still being sold on the Sonos site. It is no wonder that this program has some public perception issues.

I thought it was only the zp80/90 version? 

 

Is there a difference between the ZP90 and the Connect apart from branding? Does the Connect have more memory to help make it future proof against the contraints that are expected to affect the ability for Sonos to continiue supporting the ZP90 at some point?

Local music library with carefully constructed playlists - no shuffling!, Integration with Homeseer Automation, No touch screen devices, No streaming services, No Apple products ever
N
Userlevel 6
Badge +5

I think it is interesting that the Connect is on the list of things to be bricked by the recycle program while at the same time is still being sold on the Sonos site. It is no wonder that this program has some public perception issues.

I thought it was only the zp80/90 version? 

 

Is there a difference between the ZP90 and the Connect apart from branding? Does the Connect have more memory to help make it future proof against the contraints that are expected to affect the ability for Sonos to continiue supporting the ZP90 at some point?

 

I have no idea, was hoping you could explain lol!

Stanley_4
Userlevel 7
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Abandoned cars are a gold mine of valuable stuff, they sell for very nice prices here in the US. There are a host of organizations begging for you to donate your old car to be scrapped out. Some bits that have a high resale value are pulled but for the most part they are melted down.

Our local recycle option for electronics and hazardous waste works pretty hard to recover metals and other valuable bits like rare earths. They use the recycle profits to offset the hazardous disposal costs.

K

. Some bits that have a high resale value are pulled but for the most part they are melted down.

 

We don't have the kind of car compression yards of the kind made famous in the Breaking Bad episode of getting rid of the RV - as far as I know. Cars do get passed through a few owners, and this scene of seeing abandoned ones in cities is new, but is growing.

A

I think it is interesting that the Connect is on the list of things to be bricked by the recycle program while at the same time is still being sold on the Sonos site. It is no wonder that this program has some public perception issues.

I thought it was only the zp80/90 version? 

 

Is there a difference between the ZP90 and the Connect apart from branding? Does the Connect have more memory to help make it future proof against the contraints that are expected to affect the ability for Sonos to continiue supporting the ZP90 at some point?

I’m sure that an expert can give a definitive answer, but I was under the impression that there was a bit-perfect ZP90, then a hardware change so that the ZP90 was no longer bit-perfect, then they renamed that version to the Connnect. I don’t think that the later ZP90/Connect were inherently much more capable than the earlier ZP90, so I would expect them all to suffer the same fate - hence the recent introduction of the new Port...

N
Userlevel 6
Badge +5

Ok I'm looking at buying a new Connect. This would be marked for recycling right away? 

 

 

 

melvimbe

I think it is interesting that the Connect is on the list of things to be bricked by the recycle program while at the same time is still being sold on the Sonos site. It is no wonder that this program has some public perception issues.

 

Where is the Connect listed for sale on the Sonos site?  I don’t see it anywhere, including under refurbished products?

Danny
N
Userlevel 6
Badge +5

I think it is interesting that the Connect is on the list of things to be bricked by the recycle program while at the same time is still being sold on the Sonos site. It is no wonder that this program has some public perception issues.

 

Where is the Connect listed for sale on the Sonos site?  I don’t see it anywhere, including under refurbished products?

Lmgtfy lol :)

https://www.sonos.com/en-us/shop/last-chance

pwt
Userlevel 7
Badge +20

Are financial reasons any less valid than technical reasons? 

Absolutely not. It’s just a recurrent theme on the forum that removal of support for older devices is somehow inevitable for technical reasons, when it’s not.

(I was amused to be offered a trade in discount for a Connect:Amp that I bought at retail less than 18 months ago. Uhm … no thanks. I can understand the argument for the older ZP devices, however.)

4 x P:5 | Sub | 4 x P:1 | 3 x Connect | 2 x Boost | Connect:Amp | 2 x One | Amp | Move | Port
jgatie

Are financial reasons any less valid than technical reasons? 

Absolutely not. It’s just a recurrent theme on the forum that removal of support for older devices is somehow inevitable for technical reasons, when it’s not.

(I was amused to be offered a trade in discount for a Connect:Amp that I bought at retail less than 18 months ago. Uhm … no thanks. I can understand the argument for the older ZP devices, however.)

 

I would say technical and financial, for the very reasons you state.  Technically, they cannot keep up with the current functions.  Financially, it makes no sense to maintain multiple code bases for a dwindling amount of users who by very definition (frozen to one release) will be unlikely to purchase more units.  

melvimbe

I think it is interesting that the Connect is on the list of things to be bricked by the recycle program while at the same time is still being sold on the Sonos site. It is no wonder that this program has some public perception issues.

 

Where is the Connect listed for sale on the Sonos site?  I don’t see it anywhere, including under refurbished products?

Lmgtfy lol :)

https://www.sonos.com/en-us/shop/last-chance

 

Well, agreed then that it should probably be removed.  Not sure why anyone would buy them for $50 more than the Port, unless they were unaware of when the Connect  was first released.  

 

I get that Sonos likely has some stock they are trying to unload, and do believe the units will function just fine for several years.   I suppose it may make sense to get these if you’re looking at a Connect as something you use for 3-4 years and upgrade later on to whatever currently meets your needs.  Seems like that would be a rather tiny market though.

Danny
melvimbe

 

It isn't $50 more than the Port. I (was) looking at the connect.  Very lame and unethical of them not to be upfront about this. 

 

I misspoke.  $50 less.  Not sure what you are claiming is lame and unethical?  That the Connect is still for sale while available for tradeup?  That the Connect sale page is some what hidden on the site?

Danny
N
Userlevel 6
Badge +5

 

It isn't $50 more than the Port. I (was) looking at the connect.  Very lame and unethical of them not to be upfront about this. 

 

I misspoke.  $50 less.  Not sure what you are claiming is lame and unethical?  That the Connect is still for sale while available for tradeup?  That the Connect sale page is some what hidden on the site?

Neither. The Sonos connect product page says "enjoy incredible performance"- but is part of the recycle program that Sonos says is for devices that lack the "the processing power and memory to support modern Sonos experiences". 

melvimbe

I would guess that’s more of an issue with updating the website  or marketing oversight rather than intentionally misleading customers.  But if that’s the sort of thing that you normally find unethical, then so be it.

Danny
N
Userlevel 6
Badge +5

I would guess that’s more of an issue with updating the website  or marketing oversight rather than intentionally misleading customers.  But if that’s the sort of thing that you normally find unethical, then so be it.

 

It's reasonable to suggest a simple oversight or blame marketing (let me guess you don't work in marketing lol). But The recycle program was announced Oct 30 2019. Too long for simple mistake. So yes I'm willing to call it out for what it is. 

jgatie

Even if this is a mistake we’re still talking about bricking Connects that may have been bought a few months ago…. Can’t be right, surely….

 

What makes you think someone who bought a Connect a few months ago is going to voluntarily brick their unit?

Stanley_4
Userlevel 7
Badge +22

Who would pay new prices for a Connect just to brick it when you get the same rebate for the cheapest (barely) working one off ebay?

Now a contractor that has a lot invested in their connect setups might want to grab a spare or two at new prices.

 

Stanley_4
Userlevel 7
Badge +22

The “trade-up a device” program end date hasn’t been mentioned that I have seen.

Once traded in the discount is permanent, only expires when used.

I have one sitting in the pool, waiting for something I can’t resist.

K

Except the price of the Port goes up $50 one week from today (in the US) which offsets much of the advantage of the discount. 

So long as there still is a significant discount available on whatever is the existing price of a new Port in the future, this still won’t generate a lot of waste. 

What would help make this a good scheme is for Sonos to declare prominently that it will remain a Sonos policy from here on out: Put up an approved/registered model for recycling at any time in the future and the new unit will be discounted by 30%. That should allow for software upgrades that render units obsolete to be not as unpopular as they are now, and also not have people rush to recycle simply in anticipation of this happening.

Why there need at all to be such upgrades that get units wasted before the hardware fails is a different question altogether, I suppose, and one that I would still ask for what is merely a home audio system. It is the largely meaningless upgrades that are making for more electronic waste, not the trade up scheme that is being misidentified as such. But Sonos is a very small part of an environment that is geared to this way of living in every domain, with fashion in personal wear leading the bandwagon, so it isn't easy to see how Sonos can buck this trend all by itself.

buzz

I’ll agree that as a species, humans create too much waste and “latest technology” seems to be accelerating this waste generation. But, here we are. Should we stop creating new technologies and continue using the current technologies or revert to older technologies that could be dragged out of attics and basements? Would this old technology still be operational? While there are some outliers, most consumer electronics gets into very serious component failure in the 15-20 year range. Consumers are reluctant to spend amounts approaching the cost of new replacements when repairing older, usually less functional, products. Further, one can completely resolve a failure only to be facing a different, unrelated, failure a short time later.

In my opinion, SONOS is attempting to create a more responsible path forward.

Shipping units back to SONOS is one option, but why spend the resources boxing up, then shipping the units to SONOS? Local recycle is kinder to the environment.

K

All systems that are connected to the internet need updates. If not to add functions, then for safety concerns.

Say I have a Connect Amp, used to play just CDs ripped to a NAS. Both connected to the internet connected router. What could happen, other than the Connect Amp stopping playing as a worst case, if updates were turned off? 

Or for that matter, even where the Connect Amp is used to play Apple Music. 

Could someone raid my bank account  to which I have internet access and empty it once updates are off? If so, how?

K

@Kumar If what you say is true, why are so many people concerned about Sonos not upgrading to SMB v2?

I have asked questions; I have not said what the answers are, let alone saying they are true or false.

I have not delved into the SMB question for the same reasons; it does not bother me. Perhaps the answers to my questions, once validated, will get me worried, but I tend to doubt that, based on common sense. 

K

Further to the above, my computers are Mac, phones are Androids. If that is relevant to the questions.

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