Greed - legacy devices

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Unfortunately all that I can say about the recent announcement is that Sonos is treating it’s customers as cash cows. The amount of money that each customer spends on a good product runs, sometimes, into 1000’s and then suddenly turnaround and say that your items are no longer viable is incredulous.

The reputational damage that Sonos has created could run into millions as loyal customers decide that the expense is not worth it.

Sonos rethink, you’re an intelligent firm, but poor when it comes to customer good will.

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Noelle

Lyricist I

I’m joined this forum today only to voice my displeasure with this decision. I have 3 items that are now considered “Legacy” and several others that are not.

I am very disappointed with this decision!!!! I have recommended Sonos to many people and in most cases they have purchased. There goes people valuing my recommendations. My point is, Sonos decision has other impacts. The part that’s really concerning is a 4 month warning, that’s just unacceptable in my opinion.

K

Kumar

“Greed is good”. The fictional Gordon Gekko, in the equally fictional movie “Wall Street”, explaining how greed is the fuel that drives all that is good in the capitalist system. A bit of a stretch to go that far, but the starting premise isn't as bad as it seems at first.

The problem of course is that the greed has to be tempered with a long term vision to ensure that the greed can be fed in a sustainable way for years and decades and not just months and quarters.

And those on the thread that are looking for viable ways ahead once they are done with venting their justified annoyance, may I suggest a visit to:

https://en.community.sonos.com/controllers-software-228995/the-sonos-brexit-and-pragmatic-ways-past-it-6836056

By virtue of the nature of the beast, it is now a long and therefore unwieldy thread, but the time needed go through it may, I suggest, justify it’s investment.

N

Noelle

Lyricist I

I joined this forum today only to voice my displeasure with this decision. I have 3 items that are now considered “Legacy” and several others that are not.

I am very disappointed with this decision!!!! I have recommended Sonos to many people and in most cases they have purchased. There goes people valuing my recommendations. My point is, Sonos decision has other impacts. The part that’s really concerning is a 4 month warning, that’s just unacceptable in my opinion.

D

DT186Author

My final thoughts on this debate are as follows.

I may not be technically minded as some of you and I also thank Danny for taking my statement apart like a gifted surgeon with a scalpel. However the sentiment still remains.

When Sonos developed the system there must have been a larger MB than 32MB, if there wasn't then I stand corrected. However if there was then the developers and the Board made the decision to elect for the lesser to keep cost down.

Sonos is a technology company and would therefore have a long term development plan. If they didn't, we'll I'm sorry they should go bust, as I am sure you are all well aware technology moves quickly. Keep up or fall away. If they did have an idea going forward then Sonos will have made the conscious decision to produce a product in the knowledge that the product will become ,eventually, obsolete. So yes it was planned to keep costs down and 32MB.

The simple question is who benefits? The customer or the company? Yes, greed is a strong word and I feel that it's correct as it is in this instance predetermined.

I never said I thought they were lying, I said it incredulous. A lie is only a lie when a statement is proved so. I hope that I'm proved totally incorrect.

Thank you for your input but my view still remains.

And how many would they have sold by doubling the memory and storage at 2005 prices?

And if they did do that, how many of those prone to accusing a corporation of greed would claim they were “gouging the customer” or “overbuilding in order to charge more”, only to change your tune to them being “greedy” for not doing it when faced with the issues we are today?

So let’s recap: You are proposing that you would have accepted their reasons for overbuilding in expensive memory components back in 2005, even though you are barely accepting the explanation that 32 MB is not enough today, never mind when 32 MB was huge for embedded systems? I find that as doubtful.

ETA: And in truth, to overbuild the units in 2005 to be viable for all features in 2020, they would have to put at least 512 MB RAM and storage to equal the Port, and twice that to equal the Beam, Amp, etc. That’s 16 and 32 times what they had, at 2005 prices. The costs passed on to the customer would be astronomical. And I still ask, would you be accepting this astronomical pricing merely because Sonos told you that 16 to 32 times what it requires now for RAM and storage was needed for “future features”? Of course not, it would seem absurd!

Let's explore the history of innovation and technology.

Rolls Royce decided to make the best car in the world, Mr Brough's son decided to make the best motorbike (Brough Superior) . The first mobile phone, the first Dyson vacuum cleaner, the Grand Seiko watch. What links all these? The ambition to build the best, the drive to use the best available technology at the time without compromise. To create a luxury brand and demand.

I would like to think that Sonos is a premium brand or is it just a throw away technology ?There are a lot of cheaper copies (flattery) but none have the quality of product (my opinion). It has been demonstrated that there was the technology to make their product future proof, however it's obvious they wanted a certain price target - a conscious decision.

By using the more expensive technology Sonos could have created a high end brand, where cost initially could have been prohibitive to some. The company would then have the decision to either keep the rrp high and remain relatively exclusive or reduce the rrp as cost come down and thereby creating further demand. That's a boardroom decision.

The choice was to use the lesser technology for the price target with the knowledge that the life of the product is limited, a boardroom decision.

'Absurd' is subjective. Is the price of a Rolex absurd or a Ferrari? Is paying a premium for luxury item absurd in the knowledge that you are getting the best? It's only 'absurd' if the desire is there but the pricing is unobtainable. Is it absurd to buy a £1000 phone only to throw it away after a few years because software updates are no longer available? Is it absurd to upgrade to a phone with 3 camera lenses instead of 2? It's all subjective.

However this all detracts from the idea that Sonos made conscious decisions with regards the longevity of their product and this is what I think people find upsetting.

jgatie

Good grief, you actually doubled down? :rolling_eyes:

1. So you want Sonos priced like a Rolex or Ferrari? Yeah, that will sell.

2. You have no idea what decisions were made or how they arrived at them. For all you know, 32 MB was seen as far more than was needed, and was future proof circa 2005.

And yes, your fantasy of how things should have gone is the very definition of absurd. So tell me, as one who has shown the quickness you have to toss around words like "greed", would you have purchased a Sonos device priced at 5 to 10 times what you originally paid? All for some bean counter's or nerdy engineer's idea of what makes it future proof? Put that on top of the idea that you originally doubted 32 MB is a limiting factor right here in the future today?

Be honest.

J

Jeffrey_G

My

However this all detracts from the idea that Sonos made conscious decisions with regards the longevity of their product and this is what I think people find upsetting.

Zp80- 2005- 32 mb

Zp90- 2008 -32mb

P5 - 2009 32 mb

Connect - 2011 -32 MB

P3- 2011 -64 MB

2011-2015 - connect/amp p5 continue to be milked for every last penny. Other products like playbar/p3/P1 and sub were released with more memory.

Greasy, greedy to sell same product under three different names for 10 years with 32 mb ram.

jgatie

My

However this all detracts from the idea that Sonos made conscious decisions with regards the longevity of their product and this is what I think people find upsetting.

Zp80- 2005- 32 mb

Zp90- 2008 -32mb

P5 - 2009 32 mb

Connect - 2011 -32 MB

P3- 2011 -64 MB

2011-2015 - connect/amp p5 continue to be milked for every last penny. Other products like playbar/p3/P1 and sub were released with more memory.

Greasy, greedy to sell same product under three different names for 10 years with 32 mb ram.

ZP80 and ZP90 had far different wireless. Like going from G to N. Not even close to the same product.

J

Jeffrey_G

My

However this all detracts from the idea that Sonos made conscious decisions with regards the longevity of their product and this is what I think people find upsetting.

Zp80- 2005- 32 mb

Zp90- 2008 -32mb

P5 - 2009 32 mb

Connect - 2011 -32 MB

P3- 2011 -64 MB

2011-2015 - connect/amp p5 continue to be milked for every last penny. Other products like playbar/p3/P1 and sub were released with more memory.

Greasy, greedy to sell same product under three different names for 10 years with 32 mb ram.

ZP80 and ZP90 had far different wireless. Like going from G to N. Not even close to the same product.

Yup and they updated to the new style logo and slightly different color ........... but still kept the 32 mb RAM. Greedy yup.

jgatie

Still not the same product. Just correcting your misinformation.

J

Jeffrey_G

Still not the same product. Just correcting your misinformation.

Still the same 32mb of Ram for 10 years straight even if the radio was "like going from g to N". Can't polish that turd away.

Did the Bridge, who's purpose is/was providing wireless to players get this "like g to N" upgrade on its radio in 2008? It was sold from 2005 until after they brought the boost out in 2014.

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