Why switch off SMB1

Given there seem to be a significant number of SMBv1 devices out in the wild, Sonos could easily have left v1 in place while adding v2/3 for those of a nervous disposition. 

Not everyone wants a new usb router or another expensive clunky black box or to run a windows machine 24/7.

In fact, they could just as easily reinstate SMBv1 (but on current performance, pigs might fly first). 

Only Sonos really know the answer to that and they aren’t keen on sharing anything 😞 Forums and social media generally provide a snapshot of people having trouble, rather than the number of active customers. I only created an account after years of trouble free usage because I needed to remove my Port, so wanted to perform the impossible task of adding a Wifi network to the remaining speakers. Instead I’ve had to put a speaker in the cupboard with my switch to act as an Ethernet->Sonosnet bridge that the Port had been providing while sorting out my replacement system.

It would have been really cool if they had released a Valve style hardware survey every month, showing percentage usage of which streaming services people use, which hardware is active, what features people are using. Unfortunately the HiFi, AV and artificially restricted content providers worlds have a lot to learn about how transparency and openness is a benefit 😞

Every company I’ve worked at has had to make decisions around which versions of browser, Android, iOS, windows do we support. There were clear regional differences across the world and as a company we had to consider the impact of dropping support for things, especially in the ie6/windows XP transition. It certainly lost us some clients at the time and sales to some countries, but long term it was a benefit for the company and the <4% of impacted clients manageable with plenty of clear communication and dates of impact provided in advance.

Would that include the silent majority?  Many of whom, on discovering their speaker no longer works as before, just consign it to the landfill.  Or stick it in the cupboard. I've got a couple of old laptops been gathering dust for years after they ground to a halt after one more update.! 

Any majority change, whether vocal or silent, would be visible or potentially identifiable depending what data is shared, but it doesn’t mean it’s a bad thing when shifts occur. There is always a fine line between sharing interesting/fun data and exposing too much which can stray into real company confidential. It takes a different mindset and culture from the top down and would certainly be a bold step, potentially industry leading, in an industry that doesn’t traditionally operate that way. It’s not a seismic shift from the current quarterly financial or board reports many companies already publish though. 🤷

It’s the same sort of shift many tech companies went through where every mistake or outage was a secret, to it now being far more normal to accept things go wrong and explain why. Companies are full of people and everyone makes mistakes, everyone can relate to that.

I expect myself to be in a niche group of a small group of users, as I buy digital downloads to own and use both a local library built from physical and digital download & own media as well as streaming. I have no idea though. Some people I work with have never bought and don’t own a physical or digital version of any media.

Over time my usage pattern has changed, I rarely buy a cd anymore, favouring a drm free digital download when I buy something I like enough to want to keep. I stream internet radio and from an online service daily for listening and discovery. 🤷

Bravo, @Greenland, very well stated!

Without transparency and clear signals, customers are left to read the tealeaves and reach their own conclusions. As I’ve noted elsewhere on these forums, Sonos is sending the message—intentionally or not—that local library music is way less important than streaming music. What I hear is “Moving forward, Sonos may not be a good solution for those placing a high priority on local library music.” If those conclusions are misguided, Sonos needs to actively change their messaging … real soon now.

Sitting in a room with fixed speakers is also on the wane - a phone and earpods are sufficient.  Vinyl is also a fad - many don't even listen to the disc they bought.  It's mad. I think music videos buck this trend - first viewed on a phone, then maybe later on a TV streamer.  The first streaming aggregator, like sonos who can offer music videos will stand a chance of surviving beyond a decreasing and ageing niche market.  My thoughts. 

They should bring back the SMB1 support. This new update has ruined the entire Sonos experience.