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Not as much talk about yesterdays sonos anouncment as I would have expected from such a passionate community. So what are people thinking?



Obviously Amazon Echo has impacted SONOS but how do you go from hiring new people and planning a retail store to cutting staff?



What's next ? Should we be concered about making more current investments in sonos hardware (I really want to buy a sub)?



People have been posting for months about voice support and for years about DTS.



The standard response is sonos doesn't comment on future enhancements or new products.



We know what we have today and there pretty darn good products but we all want to be excited and look forward to what's coming next.
There's at least three threads discussing all this, seems to me they've cut staff from the development programs that they think are no longer worth pursuing, which, to my mind at least, probably means anything to do with local music storage. That won't go away, there just won't be any more development on that, so no increase in the 65k limit etc.
The whole sonos business model is based on cash from new hardware sales, there is no annual subscription. If suddenly you new sales dry up because of Amazon Echo in America, what do you pay all your staff with.....free sonos stock from the warehouse? or cash left over from sales of 10 years ago...long gone.

The danger is people like you hold off buying that sub..

Myself, I don't want voice, I like to browse music. The same way I prefer a good paper back book on the beach.

From what I have seen of voice so far from parrot, siri, automated phone systems, is it hardly ever gets it right, and frustration kicks in spoiling that relaxing music chill out you were planning.
How has a restricted access product impacted Sonos? Big world out there. The Europe market alone is larger than the US. How will Echo be received around the world. What of other voice systems? What of the dozen different automation systems? Germany is the next largest market for Amazon so Alexa is going to have to be multilingual. Maybe the local accents in Europe confuse the poor thing. I suspect there are far more than there are in the US. Will the Echo work at all?



Why would a global company, Sonos, make global decisions based upon something that is only available to 5% (a guess figure. It may be even less) of consumers.



I doubt Amazon care much what you listen to media on that you have bought from them but would likely prefer you to use their product so they can mop up those impulse buys.
Well the CEO says "Echo has found a sweet spot", which sounds like code for they are hitting sonos new customer sales, and hence layoffs and rush to voice.

http://www.cnet.com/news/echo-effect-how-amazons-alexa-will-give-voice-to-more-devices/

Echo not in UK yet, so all new news to me.
In the age of ever changing technology people want to know what's next.



I don't what to have to buy new gear but only add to what I already think is awesome.



Maybe a battery powered speaker?



Maybe a outdoor speaker?



Maybe it's voice control (and for the record the Echo gets it closer to right than siri and Google)?



We don't even know if refreshes are coming for the play3 or other products.



My point is I don't want or need something new every 6 months but other than Apple Music (which I could careless about) what's next and when?



I couldn't believe CES went by without a peep from SONOS.......how many big name comperiors and less expensive products were announcements at CES?



When you announce cut backs in staff and talk about focus on streaming music as the future and say nothing else you have to wonder especially when you already support more than enough streamimg services ( I kind of already thought it was a focus).
One more thing and it's kind of touched on by paul123w.



Did the recent anouncement send groves of people to the store or keep them away?



I guess it's nice to get the truth but I am just not sure it was good for business.
To my knowledge Sonos have never announced anything at CES, so that in itself isn't unusual.
Echo could cut into Play:1 sales - which is a new market for Sonos anyhow over the past few years (its first real speaker for the lower end market). I wouldn't think that echo would have any effect on the sales for larger Sonos speakers or multiroom. Google Chromecast and now Echo Dot may push more into that direction with the former still not having any method of multiroom.



Integrators is where Sonos had its original market. And from a support side alone I don't see them moving to any of the new technologies.
Good Point......I went back and searched and found nothing.



Is this a good thing?
Ok ....so your intregrated with lots of folks and people have 2-3 4 year old equipment.



Integration will always be growing and changing but generates no $$$$$



What's your next move?
Good Point......I went back and searched and found nothing.



Is this a good thing?



I don't see it matters, CES is three days out of the year, it doesn't make or break anything that I can determine, Sonos certainly seem to have decided some time ago that it doesn't "add value" for them (apologies for the horrible Corp-speak...).
And Google and Amazon just took the butter away from your bread.
We have never heard anything on the rumored play:base and is it still in pipeline (rumored soundbar base or super connect - Unknown)
If you sit on the bench long enough you forget how to play.....isn't that what Thursdays really announcement said?
Thanks Chris......that's my point. At the end of the day there still a hardware company.



They put mics in the play5 v2 what's the big secret on what there for?



I have a playbar and love it but there is nothing but smack talk all over this community.
Thanks Chris......that's my point. At the end of the day there still a hardware company.



They put mics in the play5 v2 what's the big secret on what there for?



There's no secret, they put them on there because they could, they had the opportunity to include them, so they did. What will they be used for? Who knows? Voice control is a possibility, further enhancements to Trueplay perhaps, the point is they don't have to have just one purpose, the possibilities are open and always will be.



I have a playbar and love it but there is nothing but smack talk all over this community.




Go somewhere else then. What is it you want? Sonos don't preannounce developments, they never have. Not many companies do, I don't know why people only complain about Sonos doing that.
That was very friendly....Thank You
They are cleaning up the bottom line and all that was said on Thursday is.



We like what Amazon is doing with voice.



We like what apple is doing with streaming.



Were ready to sell.



A privately held company that doesn't share a road map for future products but announces job cuts is looking for a suitor.



Just don't be surprised when it happens in the second or third quatter .
Regarding the announcement, how do you Sonos customers who have been with them for many years, (before the paid streaming explosion) feel about the direction and implications on local library future?



They haven't really done much with local library that I can tell for many years but as someone who still buys music (and 2 paid subscriptions) I'm not sure what to make of this.
Regarding the announcement, how do you Sonos customers who have been with them for many years, (before the paid streaming explosion) feel about the direction and implications on local library future?

I first bought into Sonos in 2007 when my CD player died. Several weeks later my CD collection was ripped to FLAC on a NAS, and the ease of access to all corners of my library at the click of a wheel (a CR100 in them days) was a minor marvel.



Today I still have a playlist which shuffles the local library (migrated to a 256GB flash stick since it's now static) for background use, but if I sit down to listen to something, even when at the computer, I'll mostly play from Deezer Elite. It has all the newer releases I'm interested in (and often suggests them) and frequently carries remastered/deluxe versions which sound better than CDs I'd bought years ago.
They are cleaning up the bottom line and all that was said on Thursday is.



We like what Amazon is doing with voice.



We like what apple is doing with streaming.



Were ready to sell.



A privately held company that doesn't share a road map for future products but announces job cuts is looking for a suitor.



Just don't be surprised when it happens in the second or third quatter .



That would be unfortunate. Despite all the theories about how Squeezebox was done in by a business model that allowed software players to undermine hardware sales, the fact is it was Logitech that destroyed it. I believe Sonos will eventually come to a similar end if it is purchased by a larger company regardless of which giant takes it over.



Let's hope your analysis is wrong in this case.
Were ready to sell.



Where did you get that from?



A privately held company that doesn't share a road map for future products but announces job cuts is looking for a suitor.




Sonos have never shared their roadmap. The entire business is in a state of flux, nailing themselves into one path now would be a mistake, imo.



Just don't be surprised when it happens in the second or third quatter .




I'm less than convinced by your argument.
I really really hope I am wrong.



True play apple product required to set up.



Apple Music lots of hype.



Apple drops Beats development of SONOS type product.



Mentions Amazon Echo by name several times (doesn't want apple low balling them aka we have other options).



Like I said I hope I am wrong....not an apple fan.
True play has been explained multiple times - microphone consistency is why requires. Apple Music. No special hype hen by users
Is sonos...



Going to do it's own voice control (probably not, too far behind)



Going to create it's own streaming service (to far behind)



More integration won't generate big dollars (it will drive some more hardware sales to a degree)



Direct connections/ties Apple or even dare I say Amazon expands there customer base.



Apple fans are a crazy bunch imagine a corner of an Apple store deadicted to Sonos with apple music playing.......they wouldn't be able to keep them in stock.
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