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.
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No, there's no reason to think that. However there's also no reason not to think that.
Well, after a bit more reading, I think Sonos may be hooking up with Alexa after all. She's free and easy, apparently, for all takers. Would save a huge development effort; Sonos just needs to add skills to control their own system. I'll wait for the Beta before ordering a Dot, though...
Not sure where that leaves the Play:1, but I'm sure Sonos has a (revised) strategy.
Not sure where that leaves the Play:1, but I'm sure Sonos has a (revised) strategy.
Not sure where that leaves the Play:1, but I'm sure Sonos has a (revised) strategy.
What difference would it make to the play:1? If they can integrate Amazon's voice control then what's the problem?
Not sure where that leaves the Play:1, but I'm sure Sonos has a (revised) strategy.
What difference would it make to the play:1? If they can integrate Amazon's voice control then what's the problem?
Echo sales are apparently denting Play:1 sales pretty badly, at least that's my thought as to why Sonos is suddenly having to change their strategy.
Not sure where that leaves the Play:1, but I'm sure Sonos has a (revised) strategy.
What difference would it make to the play:1? If they can integrate Amazon's voice control then what's the problem?
Echo sales are apparently denting Play:1 sales pretty badly, at least that's my thought as to why Sonos is suddenly having to change their strategy.
Yeah, so presumably integrating echo into Sonos would be a good thing for the play:1, usually the phrase "not sure where that leaves xy" indicates a negative impact.
Ah, I see your point. Didn't mean it that way, simply that I'm not sure what Sonos' plans are to ensure that consumers with $180 - $200 burning a hole in their pocket choose the Play:1 over the Echo.
If consumers have to buy the Echo to get the voice control, Sonos will have to somehow convince them to also buy a Play:1. Or, can Sonos come up with a standalone microphone array device that's very cheap to enable Alexa, and convince consumers that they're better off with the better SQ and music selection of Sonos speakers vs Echo. Must be some really interesting strategy sessions going on down in Santa Barbsra.
If consumers have to buy the Echo to get the voice control, Sonos will have to somehow convince them to also buy a Play:1. Or, can Sonos come up with a standalone microphone array device that's very cheap to enable Alexa, and convince consumers that they're better off with the better SQ and music selection of Sonos speakers vs Echo. Must be some really interesting strategy sessions going on down in Santa Barbsra.
Well I don't imagine Sonos will allow an echo to become a Sonos zone, so it'll have to be a more integrated solution than simply using an echo for voice control.
Come to think of it, they hired Matt Welch back in Sept, so Sonos has been thinking about Alexa voice control for a while. They have no doubt been improving Matt's Alexa integration ever since.
http://mattwel.ch/
http://mattwel.ch/voice-control-for-the-sonos-with-an-echo/
So the only question is how to solve the microphone issue?
http://mattwel.ch/
http://mattwel.ch/voice-control-for-the-sonos-with-an-echo/
So the only question is how to solve the microphone issue?
Interesting. MacFarlane was asked specifically about SoundHound, said they're not going that direction. So, Alexa it is, then!
http://www.billboard.com/articles/business/7256313/sonos-ceo-john-macfarlane-from-the-desk-of
http://www.billboard.com/articles/business/7256313/sonos-ceo-john-macfarlane-from-the-desk-of
http://www.billboard.com/articles/business/7256313/sonos-ceo-john-macfarlane-from-the-desk-of
I find this paragraph from the article really interesting. Obviously they've been looking at it longer than a week but interesting that perhaps a few conversations including one with an uber driver may have had some influence. Emphasis added mine:
This reads a lot like the Bill Gates epiphany about the internet in the mid nineties and almost overnight changing the Microsoft focus in that direction.
What are the sales figures?
What are the sales figures?
They're the number of units an item has sold but that's not important right now!
Sorry, couldn't resist that...
http://www.billboard.com/articles/business/7256313/sonos-ceo-john-macfarlane-from-the-desk-of
Or maybe Siri. I do agree that Alexa is much more likely though.
I think that delivering a better streaming experience is much more important that the voice thing. Sonos needs to have something like casting, where anything that is being played/heard on a smart device can be streamed to play from the speakers, using the native service app.
There is also probably a market for an app that can interface with a local NAS and do all the tricks that can be done with how a local library is accessed and then have the music play via Sonos hardware. That ought to address the 65k issue as well.
The Sonos controller would then be used for just hardware housekeeping chores.
I think that at this time voice comes a distant third, though I suppose there is a future in it once applications become pervasive across various possible uses, not just as a gimmick for playing music from a particular service provider.
There is also probably a market for an app that can interface with a local NAS and do all the tricks that can be done with how a local library is accessed and then have the music play via Sonos hardware. That ought to address the 65k issue as well.
The Sonos controller would then be used for just hardware housekeeping chores.
I think that at this time voice comes a distant third, though I suppose there is a future in it once applications become pervasive across various possible uses, not just as a gimmick for playing music from a particular service provider.
Echo sales are apparently denting Play:1 sales pretty badly, at least that's my thought as to why Sonos is suddenly having to change their strategy.
I am not very familiar with the product hence the question: While I understand that Echo has voice control, can one place a few units around the home and do all that can be done with an identical number of 1 units? Via streaming services as well as a local library, with the same level of stability in music play?
And is the sound quality in the same ball park, allowing things like stereo pairing? Presumably at this time there is no Sub?
Echo sales are apparently denting Play:1 sales pretty badly, at least that's my thought as to why Sonos is suddenly having to change their strategy.
I am not very familiar with the product hence the question: While I understand that Echo has voice control, can one place a few units around the home and do all that can be done with an identical number of 1 units? Via streaming services as well as a local library, with the same level of stability in music play?
And is the sound quality in the same ball park, allowing things like stereo pairing? Presumably at this time there is no Sub?
No, Echo doesn't compete in SQ or multiroom. However, the Play:1 was, until recently, the #1 selling home wifi speaker, ideal for those who were moving up from bluetooth speakers. Suddenly, the Echo is a runaway bestseller, can play Pandora, etc, and has cool voice control and home automation, all for $20 less than the Play:1. It's getting all the press in the same publications where consumers used to read about how good Sonos is, like the highly influential Consumer Reports. Plenty of consumers who were saving up for a Play:1 are now buying Echos instead.
Yes, but Echo is then a dead end, if more units are to be added across the home and played in sync? Even where they are to be played as independent zones, will they do this as well as Sonos can, as distances from the WiFi router increase as they would for other rooms?
The standalone speaker market really isn't a Sonos domain, even if the nature of the play 1 units allowed that to be accessed for a while. Why the sudden attraction to it then?
I can understand the need for Sonos to be a better user experience for the streaming services user, but having to add voice to compete with Echo seems to be knee jerk reflex.
The standalone speaker market really isn't a Sonos domain, even if the nature of the play 1 units allowed that to be accessed for a while. Why the sudden attraction to it then?
I can understand the need for Sonos to be a better user experience for the streaming services user, but having to add voice to compete with Echo seems to be knee jerk reflex.
If you read the billboard article it's because Sonos are hearing lots of people talk about voice control. It might be a distant third to you but not the general public it appears.
What are the sales figures?
They're the number of units an item has sold but that's not important right now!
Sorry, couldn't resist that...
Okay, but don't call me Shirley!
Userlevel 7
+17
a new high profile departure...
http://www.engadget.com/2016/03/28/sonos-product-head-marc-whitten-has-left-the-company/
http://www.engadget.com/2016/03/28/sonos-product-head-marc-whitten-has-left-the-company/
Userlevel 2
+7
One idea, as I read through this thread - is why would Sonos stick with a single voice control and/or home automation system, they haven't taken this approach with streaming services ... they support many.
Userlevel 7
+17
Isn't that another problem, trying to support everything out there from BBC, audible, amazon prime music, seems to cause most complaints on here when services change and sonos can't keep up. Amazon Echo haven't got to keep up with what apple are doing etc etc
Actually, Sonos standardized on a single Music Partners API for music services to use. It is only when services go outside the API or have other non-standard requirements when things go awry (BBC, Audible, Spotify). Echo/Alexa technology is made available to incorporate into other hardware, letting third parties use Alexa as a standardized voice UI interface. This is exactly like the Music Partners API, except instead of reinventing the wheel, Sonos would be using the already available Alexa API.
Userlevel 2
+7
Yes, Sonos could use the Amazon/Alexa API ... but what about Apple? Google most likely in the future too.
Or they could publish their own (Voice Partner API).... but would Amazon/Apple/Goole want to also code to Sonos' API.
I work in an IT company, and we see this all of the time ... do I use your API, or do you use mine?
Most likely (as with the Music Partners API) they might have to support multiple versions to get the broadest reach - as this may be in their best commercial interests rather than tying to a single voice control technology/partner. Other players like Spotify, Deezer etc may also feel a need to step into this field to ensure relevance.
Or they could publish their own (Voice Partner API).... but would Amazon/Apple/Goole want to also code to Sonos' API.
I work in an IT company, and we see this all of the time ... do I use your API, or do you use mine?
Most likely (as with the Music Partners API) they might have to support multiple versions to get the broadest reach - as this may be in their best commercial interests rather than tying to a single voice control technology/partner. Other players like Spotify, Deezer etc may also feel a need to step into this field to ensure relevance.
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