Homepod - let's get this started...

Airplay 1 was a severely flawed playback system and I completely understand why Sonos wouldn't embrase it. Airplay 2 sounds like it has a lot of the pull from source features as Google Casting has (and Sonos long before they were even conceived). Now that finally Apple is getting their act together with their version of Google Casting type system maybe Sonos will look to a device to integrate both (since you will then cover most of the market - where just going Google Cast before didn't keep their support of market even).

The most important advantages, besides multiroom, is homekit integration. With this it would be possible to start, stop, play, pause, select playlist etc. bases on events/scenes.

For instance create an wake up homekit scene:
1. run Philips Hue sunrise scene
2. Activate switch to turn on the coffeemachine
3. Open the blinds in the livingroom
4. turn on radio/playlist on the speakers

Leaving the home
1. Turn of the Philips Hue bulbs
2. Turn of the coffeemachine
3. Close the blinds
4. Turn of, stop or pauze the speakers

Coming home on friday night
1. Turn on the Philips Hue bulbs
2. Open the blinds
3. Play playlist Late night Jazz from spotify on the speakers

Watching an movie on netflix (via apple tv)
1. Dim the Philips Hue lights
2. Close the blinds
3. Pauze the music on thespeakers

When an homekit detected notices an danger (leakage, smoke, fire, carbonmoxide etc)
1. Flash the lights
2. Play an alarm message on the peakers (waterleakage in the basement, carbonmoxide in the garage etc.)

vdpoorten, I wouldn't call that an advantage, since all those things can be done without using any Apple products whatsoever. I currently do these things with sonos and a lutron hub. I haven't done much with it, but smartthings as well. I can see where it would be appealing to go all Apple, but that's going to have disadvantages as well.

The most important advantages, besides multiroom, is homekit integration. With this it would be possible to start, stop, play, pause, select playlist etc. bases on events/scenes...


I would note that most of the things you want to do are already possible using other automation systems. My Homeseer system can accept commands from my Echo or use other triggers to control actions on my Sonos system. There is no need to wait for Homekit integration to do these things.

Homekit is off to a very slow start in the Home Automation arena and at this point has made no significant impact on that business. I would be surprised if Sonos made any investment in Homekit integration before there is a serious increase in the user base for that product.

Liked and agree with some of comments posted. I am also reasonably invested in Sonos, Apple Music, Apple eco-system, Homekit, Philips Hue environment and hope/want therefore that Sonos will evolve taking into account opportunities opening in that rich and promising environment. Sonos-Homekit integration and coexistence with Apple's coming Homepod being the obvious ones right now.

Apple Homekit has the advantage of being available on and build in every iphone/ipad device out there with a splendid user interface for home automation and has therefore great potential. Hope/expect Sonos to realise that!

Yawn

This whole homepod/Alexa/voice control thing is a little ridiculous to me. I honestly don't need to control my home/lights/music/thermostat/etc. with my voice. It's cool but it's not a deal breaker for me. As long as my Sonos app on my phone continues to work, I'm good. Not to mention Siri isn't all that reliable. I very rarely use it.

This whole homepod/Alexa/voice control thing is a little ridiculous to me. I honestly don't need to control my home/lights/music/thermostat/etc. with my voice. It's cool but it's not a deal breaker for me. As long as my Sonos app on my phone continues to work, I'm good. Not to mention Siri isn't all that reliable. I very rarely use it.

I used to be skeptical about the real value of voice control as well. Then I installed a couple of Echo's and found my family took to them like a fish to water. All the complaints about trouble working the music system went away and now when things do go wrong I get an amused story about the silly thing Alexa just did rather than complaints about how fiddly and unintuitive the music control app is. Phone based control will not be returning to our house.

Siri is not a good example of true voice control since you still have to dig out a phone to use it and as you point out, it is not very reliable. Apple has a lot of work to do to get Siri ready for Homepod, assuming they truly expect to compete with Alexa and can shed their phone centric mindset.

I would agree that voice integration is less for the type of person who posts here and more for the people who live with the people who post here. In my situation, it's me and my 2 kids. They could control sonos through the apps, but they really don't want to mess with Dad's stuff. The Echo's, on the other hand, are much more comfortable for them. They get to search for songs I've never even heard of. The only downside is that it's playing on the tiny dot instead of the sonos setup.

And then there are also guests. I don't want to have every guest download the app and learn how to use it. I'd rather they just see how easy it is to control with a couple examples, then be on their way.

If you are so sure you're going to get a homepod, why not experiment and get a Dot as well?

I've been considering this. I've had a strong desire to limit the number of platforms and devices throughout the house. If my voice assistant could also be the music source for whole home audio it's a more elegant solution. I have a few routines with HomeKit I would like to incorporate with Sonos. The good news is that more and more smart home devices are supporting both platforms but I don't want to have to talk to both Siri and Alexa to change a routine. That being said the Dot is inconspicuous enough to use with some of my key components (Hue lights) and its cheap enough to be an interim solution so some things. But I'm hoping that in the near future I can turn on my Apple TV and start watching a movie (adjusting room light settings etc) with a single voice command.