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The PC update is terrible, terrible , terrible. Can't read a thing. Who comes up with these designs. With poor eyesight the light grey on black is unreadable; the white on black gives too much contrast. Why not offer colour options or keep it blue.
Userlevel 7
+23
For Windows 10 users there are several 3rd party Sonos apps in the Store. Including mine. Try them out, find one you like. And for the record, I hate the blackness of the new Sonos desktop controller. I run my own app in White mode, except on my Xbox where Black mode looks easier on the huge screen.
What are you guys smoking? Just when I though the previous design was terrible... How is it possible, I don't understand?!
This isn't going to be popular but I actually like the refreshed look. To me it's crisper, more modern, fits in more with the look of other apps and now is closer to the look of the mobile apps. I really can't see a downside. Everything is very clear on my Macs (and my eyes are not the best these days).
This is obviously a very subjective thing.
On the other hand, the removal of some of the functionality is not so great and removes some convenience but not a huge deal to me.
This is obviously a very subjective thing.
On the other hand, the removal of some of the functionality is not so great and removes some convenience but not a huge deal to me.
The new flat black with bright white interface is horrific. Very hard on the eyes , looks not polished at all. Please consider going back to the older color scheme, thanks.
Sonos what the hell are you doing to your loyal customers. Not only is the new interface horrible but you removed the room settings option. I can't turn off the led lights. On top of that, you also removed the room settings on the ios app after updating to version 9.2. I can no longer access room settings on my desktop nor on my iphone. Do you want to lose customers???
I, too, think the new interface is terrible. Too dark. Would appreciate a toggle to go back to "light" background. I realize you can't please everybody. But....
Feels like only yesterday...
https://www.sonos.com/en-us/newsroom/sonos-takes-control-with-new-apps-for-mac-pc
https://www.sonos.com/en-us/newsroom/sonos-takes-control-with-new-apps-for-mac-pc
The new interface is really dreadful. The lack of colour is awful and the user buttons are unresponsive. Whoever is responsible for this mega mistake needs the boot. Please revert back to the tried and tested format. If it aint broke don't fix it!!
In the interest of succinctness let me just say this new updated look is garbage! I absolutely detest it as it is extremely hard on my eyes and quite difficult to distinguish what is where. The black on white color scheme, in a word, sucks!
Just wanted to add my voice that it does seem harder to read. I can't say if it's only the color scheme, because I can't compare before and after. (OK, a Google image search lets me realize... it's way more than just the colors.)
It also seems blurrier or harder to bring into focus, as if maybe subpixel rendering is interacting poorly with the colors or fonts chosen. This is on MacOS, on a 27" LED Cinema Display.
Also not wild about the icons. They are tiny targets, and when using a mouse, it's not clear what the "zone of click is" because there is no button rendered. There is nothing 3D rendered any more and very little 2D. When something approaching "contrast" is used, it's between shades of grey that really require me to squint and get close.
Strangely, the play button lights up a circle on hover, but not its neighbors.
The lack of an ordinary window MacOS window handle feels weird. It's compounded by the total lack of 3D effects.
The fact that the interface *does* rely on low-contrast shades of dark grey has me squinting all the time in this field of black, looking for boxes, borders, or handles that I think "might be there". But they aren't.
Hope this is all useful to the team.
It also seems blurrier or harder to bring into focus, as if maybe subpixel rendering is interacting poorly with the colors or fonts chosen. This is on MacOS, on a 27" LED Cinema Display.
Also not wild about the icons. They are tiny targets, and when using a mouse, it's not clear what the "zone of click is" because there is no button rendered. There is nothing 3D rendered any more and very little 2D. When something approaching "contrast" is used, it's between shades of grey that really require me to squint and get close.
Strangely, the play button lights up a circle on hover, but not its neighbors.
The lack of an ordinary window MacOS window handle feels weird. It's compounded by the total lack of 3D effects.
The fact that the interface *does* rely on low-contrast shades of dark grey has me squinting all the time in this field of black, looking for boxes, borders, or handles that I think "might be there". But they aren't.
Hope this is all useful to the team.
Bug Fix update today but STILL CAN'T GET IT TO HOLD ITS SIZE AND POSITION ON THE PC SCREEN! How hard can this be?
Indeed, I concur.
Per my report on Desktop Controller for Windows v9.2 earlier in the thread, v9.3 persists in huge "placemat" takeover of screen real estate.
What was a bug is now a "feature"? LOL
I can report the just released Desktop Controller for Windows v10.0 fixes this UI annoyance at long last.
Both last closed program window size & position now appear to be respected.
Progress! 🙂
By a color scheme change? No functionality or layout changes were done, except the loss of settings functions.
When launched on my 4K resolution PC monitor, the program opens as a HUGE "placemat" dead center every time, swallowing up the bulk of screen real estate.
What is the rationale behind this UI design change, or is it merely coding oversight?
Same here and it's REALLY annoying. Easy fix, surely?
I'm not keen on the new UI design.
Usability depends somewhat on the settings of your monitor. The UI is usable on my monitor. Default monitor settings tend to crush the blacks. If this is your situation, adjusting the brightness/contrast/gamma might help. Older eyes with ripe cataracts will likely have extra difficulties with this lower contrast scheme.
I use a "calibrated" monitor. This is common practice in graphic artist shops and development groups,.ensuring that all of the monitors display the same color and contrast subtleties. Unfortunately, what might look great in the shop, may not view well on the typical user monitor setup.
Usability depends somewhat on the settings of your monitor. The UI is usable on my monitor. Default monitor settings tend to crush the blacks. If this is your situation, adjusting the brightness/contrast/gamma might help. Older eyes with ripe cataracts will likely have extra difficulties with this lower contrast scheme.
I use a "calibrated" monitor. This is common practice in graphic artist shops and development groups,.ensuring that all of the monitors display the same color and contrast subtleties. Unfortunately, what might look great in the shop, may not view well on the typical user monitor setup.
OK I've just closed the desktop app again and it took at least 9 seconds to close this time. It does seem an excessive amount of time for closing an app! I can't understand why sometimes it closes immediately and sometimes not.
The same UI change happened on the Mac controller and it's awful, IMHO.
I'm sorry, but I just did the update having NO IDEA this would change my Mac desktop interface into this AWFUL FLAT BLACK thing! This has the complete OPPOSITE effect of being "easy on the eyes!" Please put back the ability for people to choose "classic" interface - this is awful! And as others have mentioned, you have TONS of blank black real estate with no purpose, so there was zero need to remove words like "Group" (which I couldn't even find where to add back one of my speakers on the iPhone app and had to come do it on the Mac desktop).
Other than making my desktop hideous and miserable to view, I don't see anything else that has changed - so exactly what was the purpose of this? I have about $10,000 worth of Sonos equipment and appreciate that I can now go buy another Play 1 (really?) in order get Apple Airplay to finally work, but this has nothing to do with needing to make the interface a giant black thing burning glaring white type into my eyeballs and making using it to search or do anything a misery.
Please give people back the choice to use the old GUI.
Thanks
Other than making my desktop hideous and miserable to view, I don't see anything else that has changed - so exactly what was the purpose of this? I have about $10,000 worth of Sonos equipment and appreciate that I can now go buy another Play 1 (really?) in order get Apple Airplay to finally work, but this has nothing to do with needing to make the interface a giant black thing burning glaring white type into my eyeballs and making using it to search or do anything a misery.
Please give people back the choice to use the old GUI.
Thanks
Userlevel 2
I'm not sure who designed the desktop controller but now I can't see a damn thing on it. Black and white looks cool and all, but there is no contrast on the buttons, the white text is blurry on my 27" monitor and it gives me a headache looking at it. Please please PLEASE go back to the old skin, or at least let us choose it as an option.
I was pleading for a better designed app for years! I've been in countless beta cycles. Nothing changed, absolutely nothing. This is my message to Sonos 2 years ago from 10 August 2016
I'm deleting the app from my system.
""
Comment on the app development (concerning all platforms but with special emphasis on desktop)
How can one have such an amazing product on the hardware side but being so sloppy on the software?
Are there any plans to overhaul the UI anytime soon? I’ve been in the Beta update cycles for years and the improvements are painfully incremental considering any other platform leaping lightyears ahead. Including non-linear navigation, drag & drop, rich visual feedback are completely absent. Only drag&drop from 90s is partially implemented.
The App on the desktop seems extremely static, linear impersonal UI, with non-sensical sliding back and forth between a myriad of textual menus. It's an appliance like solution for one-fingered blue (now black) alien who loves to read very similar two word sentences.
Sorry for my language, I the hardware and I know it’s hard to build anything valuable in UI with so much competition on other fronts. But the UI is what your clients look at and use hours every day.
Just imagine how much time of it is wasted because of really bad design.
Please, please do something about it.
It's too bad the desktop app is neglected. Your competitors offer a full spectrum of experiences and deep discovery tools with social integration (without the hardware).
There is one simple and maybe obvious solution - SONOS could adapt proven methods for rapid UI dev cycles from others using web technologies (and package them as native app) with all the benefits of the web
and/or
integrate with the user's system and become a system layer offering secure network connection to the speakers. (AirPlay-like integration but with support not limited to iOS). "SONOS Aether"
I'm deleting the app from my system.
""
Comment on the app development (concerning all platforms but with special emphasis on desktop)
How can one have such an amazing product on the hardware side but being so sloppy on the software?
Are there any plans to overhaul the UI anytime soon? I’ve been in the Beta update cycles for years and the improvements are painfully incremental considering any other platform leaping lightyears ahead. Including non-linear navigation, drag & drop, rich visual feedback are completely absent. Only drag&drop from 90s is partially implemented.
The App on the desktop seems extremely static, linear impersonal UI, with non-sensical sliding back and forth between a myriad of textual menus. It's an appliance like solution for one-fingered blue (now black) alien who loves to read very similar two word sentences.
Sorry for my language, I the hardware and I know it’s hard to build anything valuable in UI with so much competition on other fronts. But the UI is what your clients look at and use hours every day.
Just imagine how much time of it is wasted because of really bad design.
Please, please do something about it.
It's too bad the desktop app is neglected. Your competitors offer a full spectrum of experiences and deep discovery tools with social integration (without the hardware).
There is one simple and maybe obvious solution - SONOS could adapt proven methods for rapid UI dev cycles from others using web technologies (and package them as native app) with all the benefits of the web
and/or
integrate with the user's system and become a system layer offering secure network connection to the speakers. (AirPlay-like integration but with support not limited to iOS). "SONOS Aether"
+1 for this - I don't need a BLACK interface on Windows. Yeesh.
AND - the app auto-resizes to the largest possible size and can't find it's position on the desktop EVERY TIME I OPEN IT! I use a two-monitor setup and have it set to a certain position and I have to reset it EVERY TIME. 😞 😞 😞
AND - the app auto-resizes to the largest possible size and can't find it's position on the desktop EVERY TIME I OPEN IT! I use a two-monitor setup and have it set to a certain position and I have to reset it EVERY TIME. 😞 😞 😞
I thought the change to bring it in line with the color of the mobile app was generally a good idea, but I think the legibility has gone down. The dark gray room groups on the black background are really hard to see, at least on my monitors, and the gray text on the gray buttons on bottom of UI are poorly legible. In addition some of the UI widgets appear a little blurry, such as the sound slider, the grouping icon, etc. (I'm on Windows 10.) Finally, I use small icons on my dock, and the 'Sonos' lettering is completely unreadable. They should replace that with their icon they use in the title bar, or something, to make more user-friendly. Now I look for the little black icon with a smidgen of white to know which one to click on.
All in all I think this could have been done better, but wasn't the worst thing in the world, for what it's worth.
All in all I think this could have been done better, but wasn't the worst thing in the world, for what it's worth.
Update 9.2 was ignorant, no pc/mac interface, just ios-android, who brings a playbar to a party? selling my system.
I like the new interface. I like the contrast and think it's easier to use. Since people don't normally like change think it would be good to have the option to change the color scheme back to the original.
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