No Airplay 2 for Playbar. GUTTED !!!!!

Just voicing this cos I want to, it’s not to add value or provoke anyone but I am bitterly disappointed that the Playbar will not be receiving AirPlay2.

I really don’t get why they didn’t refresh the internals of the Playbar when they launched the Playbase, I would love to understand how difficult or costly that would have been.

For them to update the playbar at the same time as the playbar launch was possible. But Sonos is a small company. They might not have had it in their r&d budget at the time.

It would be a complete redesign. With new processor. There is a new power supply. So new regulators to ensure the everything get the right level of power. And since it is 7 years. You need a updated wifi modem. So all those new components need to be design and then tested. It is not as simple as a PC. Open it up and swap the hhd for a SSD or pop old gen processor for a gen7 processor. Then Sonos have to spend money getting the new playbar certified. It is not a cheap process to do a wholesale redesign of the playbar.

It's also maybe not cheap sourcing such old, out of date tech now. 😉

Looks like the new replacement Playbar could be on its way?

https://fccid.io/SBVRM014

#1 - no one purchased any of these older devices with any expectation of them ever having Airplay Ability (although they do with server software airtunes).

#2 - they still will have airplay ability by grouping them with a newer device that has the processing ability.

All kind of electronic devices get updates that don't appy to older units. Its a fact of life. How about appreciating the fact we are getting a free upgrade to a new (not even released yet) standard. If the cost to some people with only older equipments is $199 for a nice new additional speaker in your house - - so be it!

And facts are for those like it to be all about themselves. Sonos when they announced airplay support stated it would only be for the Sonos One. How about thinking of the happy playbase and play:5 gen 2 users that Sonos found they were able to support as well. Bonus for those people. So it’s not about the devices that can’t do it ... it’s aboit how Sonos was able to add to devices that never intended to get airplay. Sonos went well beyond what they promised.

And facts are for those like it to be all about themselves. Sonos when they announced airplay support stated it would only be for the Sonos One

Er, no they didn't, their exact message was 'We're also bringing Apple's AirPlay 2 to the Sonos platform, which will allow you to play audio from any Apple iOS device on your Sonos speakers'

It may have been in a blog post about the Sonos One but was under a separate section regarding their developer portal...

Nope they said Sonos One publically from day 1

I read the October message to mean that Sonos and Apple negotiated the licensing agreement so that it could happen. Since Airplay 2 wasn't closed to being finalized at that point, Sonos could not (and did not) specify which devices it would work on. I suppose they could have been more specific at that point, but I don't think that really should be expected. That level of detail typically isn't provided in the early press releases.

As far as disappointment in Airplay 2 not supported on the playbar, I get the disappointment. However, I just don't think it's realistic. Sonos, in my mind anyway, has gone well beyond what most companies do in supporting their old hardware. What I mean to say, if I went and bought a $700 receiver last year for example, I would not at all be surprised if it didn't support an upcoming new standard. Same goes for a new computer, or any other tech I buy. I just don't have an expectation of future proofing. I always figure I get what I pay for, and anything else is gravy.

Sonos has changed that in many ways as they have attempted to future proof products and do add new features to old products, despite the fact that it may not push new sales. So in a sense, they've created an expectation, and as a result they are judged differently then others, because of the expectation. It's not exactly fair, but it's reality.

I also think Sonos does a good job of future proofing the physical design. By that I mean the playbar doesn't look it's been on the market for years. It's not suprising that a consumer would assume it's only been out on the market a short time since it looks rather modern. Other products, they don't give you that same feel.

And perhaps you can blame Sonos for not letting a product stay on the market without a hardware update for so long. Perhaps they should upgrade the hardware, even though there is no new functionality to be added and it wouldn't drive any sales, just so they can support features that may or may come to pass and need that new hardware? I don't think that makes a lot of sense. Other companies do that, like with phones, because they know it will drive additional sales. That wouldn't happen with Sonos.

Well for a product with that age I think it some kind of fair enough that playbar and play1 etc doesn't feature airplay 2. How many devices that are in use today will get airplay 2? I bet Sonos is amongst those who supports airplay 2 most on older devices.
Eks - b&w says they'll support airplay 2 but has confirmed none of the existing product will support airplay.
I would have been I Sonos philosophy to support it on all devices BUT its not just about hardware, It will require some muscles which these 1 gen units doesn't have

This might be the solution

http://www.aftvnews.com/fcc-filing-suggests-sonos-is-working-on-a-new-tv-sound-bar-with-alexa-voice-control/