Hey Siri, ...

melvimbe wrote:

Honestly, I can't imagine the people who want SONOS and want Homepod is probably rather small since there is a lot of feature overlap.

By that argument, why would anyone want Amazon Echo or Google Home alongside Sonos since they also have a lot of feature overlap. I do want Sonos and want Homepod, but what I would like is an Apple HomePod "Dot" that allows me to control my Sonos setup, as well as my Nest thermostats, my Schlage smart locks, my Somfy blinds and awnings, my Hue lights, my PowerBOT vacuum, my etc; However, neither Amazon, Google, Apple, Samsung, Somfy or any others have an all encompassing offering, because right now they are all jockeying for market share in the Internet-of-Things control space to see who comes out as indispensable.

melvimbe wrote:

I would also imagine (I don't know) that of the 3, Amazon, Google, and Apple...Apple would be the one who least wants to do business with Sonos because of the feature overlap (which Apple created by the way).

If by feature overlap, you are talking about music services, both Amazon and Google have music services too. They too don't share across every platform, nor are they available in every country, but I accept that Apple is the most closed of all the content and computer companies.

melvimbe wrote:

I'm just not seeing why Sonos needs to drop everything and do whatever Apple fans want, at the expense of everything else, or fear going out of business.

I am both a Sonos and Apple fan. I'm not expecting Sonos to drop anything. Quite the contrary, I believe that the survival of an independent Sonos is widespread compatibility. And for the record, I'd like to see Sonos continue as independent. Nest, for example, was bought out by Google (who could resist $1B offer as a startup), and so now it also doesn't support Apple HomeKit. Had they remained independent I believe they too would be more widely compatible.

ratty wrote:

Could that perhaps be on account of planned obsolescence by the manufacturer? Now, I wonder which company immediately springs to mind... hmm....

I still use an iPhone 6, iPad Air 2, iPod Classic and 2012 MacBook Air, and they all work fine.

I, too, am getting rather impatient with Sonos. For better or worse, I'm locked into the Apple eco-system, and if Sonos won't play nice with it, I'm going to drop Sonos, sell the 9 units I have (after 8 years) and move on. It's not even that I'm all that sold on Apple - and I sure don't need everything to be Apple-stuff; but I need it to work with it. I first got into Sonos, after my efforts to build a multi-room system based on a set of Airport Express units turned out to be unsatisfactory. I liked Sonos, but I was never blown away by the audio quality of the speakers (especially considering the price). I find them satisfactory, nothing more. Without the recent developments in voice control, I would probably stick with them for much longer, as I'm not willing to pay what it takes to upgrade to high-end multi-room audio. But voice control is a game-changing innovation that addresses a what I feel is a serious interface short-coming in the Sonos system. The best solution would be to have Siri on Sonos itself. Or for Sonos to be be controllable by Siri. I understand that the main obstacle there may be Apple itself. But, as I said, I need Sonos to work with my Apple stuff, and if it doesn't, then Sonos goes. I'm willing to accept some less than perfect work-around - but if all I get offered is the Amazon or Google option, then I'll sell. And I want something pretty soon from Sonos. As of December, I'll have new options. I'll wait until summer next year. If nothing is out that works for me (or is at least officially announced) then that's it. Alright, call me an Apple fanboy - I won't bite back. All I want is that Sonos take notice.

These "drink the Apple kool-aid or the bunny gets it" posts from recent registrants are quite fascinating. A system which has evidently reproduced multi-room music impeccably for 8 years is now destined for eBay or the skip? A sense of proportion is surely in order.

Nicely put - but yep, that's how it is. The lack of voice control was always annoying, but not a big deal as long as there was no alternative. At this point, what bothers me is that Sonos seems to be dragging their feet. If they don't prioritize this issue, I think it will hurt them badly. Btw, I had registered when I first got my Sonos system, but not had the need to bother with the Sonos forums for five years or so, since I haven't had any problems after the initial set-up. Not sure why the website forced me to update my registration at this point.

hpl: your logic appears to be:
- I set up an Apple multi-room system, and it sucked
- I set up a Sonos multi-room system, and it doesn't suck
- I'm now going to ditch Sonos for another Apple system which doesn't even exist yet

Genius.

Well, I guess my point is: it's started to suck. Also note, the whole point of my post was a plea to Sonos to come up with a solution that allows me to stay with Sonos, not that I'm going to get whatever Apple's coming up with. I don't think Apple is all that great; I think I'd be quite happy with Windows on the PC and Android on the phone - but at this point I'm far to invested (materially, not emotionally) to change that side of the equation. If Sonos gets their act together, I'll keep my Sonos stuff; if not, not.

hpl wrote:

Nicely put - but yep, that's how it is. The lack of voice control was always annoying, but not a big deal as long as there was no alternative. At this point, what bothers me is that Sonos seems to be dragging their feet. If they don't prioritize this issue, I think it will hurt them badly. Btw, I had registered when I first got my Sonos system, but not had the need to bother with the Sonos forums for five years or so, since I haven't had any problems after the initial set-up. Not sure why the website forced me to update my registration at this point.

"The lack of voice control was always annoying"? I have to ask - "always"? Viable whole home voice control has existed for barely 2 years, beginning with the release of the Amazon Echo in June 2015. Sonos is realistically the only third party multi-room system to state they are going to implement it, never mind are actually working on it as we speak, and it has "always" bothered you for the "8 years" you claim to have owned Sonos? 8 years predates phone apps, never mind voice control, yet you were "always" annoyed by lack of voice control?

Something is odoriferous in Odense.

Post above says it all - "locked into Apple eco-system" - Let the Apple Fans suffer as they try and hook their users with apple speakers and yet another closed product where they will be locked in. The Sonos community needs to support the future of AI with Cortana support.. When will this and other voice support be available?

sparty wrote:

Post above says it all - "locked into Apple eco-system" - Let the Apple Fans suffer as they try and hook their users with apple speakers and yet another closed product where they will be locked in. The Sonos community needs to support the future of AI with Cortana support.. When will this and other voice support be available?

Sonos have stated that wish is to add other voice systems, with Google Home next in line. You aren't going to get any more than that out of them.

yeah, after my experience with sonos software, i think ill just wait 6 months which was never an issue anyway.

I’ve been using Sonos for almost a year and I now have a 5.1 set up and I am continually adding Sonos throughout my home. Honestly, I am a big Apple fan and would have probably purchased the HomePod when it launches without hesitation but now that I am into the Sonos ecosystem, I would rather get a Play 5 for that price. My introduction to Sonos was thanks to Airmiles, I’ve noticed this product on their entertainment section and got curious. Bought the Play 3 through Airmiles and since then, I am hooked.

I fee like Sonos needs to invest more in their marketing, especially with all the major tech companies seem to be interested in the market Sonos is in. Also, Google Home Max design looked a wee bit similar to the Sonos Play 3.

Erwin I wrote:

I fee like Sonos needs to invest more in their marketing, especially with all the major tech companies seem to be interested in the market Sonos is in. Also, Google Home Max design looked a wee bit similar to the Sonos Play 3.

For what it's worth, I don't think Amazon, Google, or Apple actually care about direct competition with Sonos. It's the same play that all tech companies have been trying to make for years; be the first interaction with everyone.

Not unlike Android was the counter to the threat of iPhone interrupting the normal carrier-control of your experience, the counters of HomePod and Google Home speakers aren't about the speakers. Amazon disrupted the strangehold the major players had with the Echo, but the Echo was never anything more than a vehicle to get Alexa into your hands. Now that the value is established, you're going to see digital assistants showing up in everything.

That's not to say these guys aren't still a real threat to Sonos. It's just a perspective that Sonos is simply taking some collateral damage in the fight between the largest tech companies in the world for access to customers.

I don't know of any path Sonos could take other than their "embrace everyone" method. I hope they can pull it off, and despite the opinions of some, I think they can.