Contributor III

Thoughts after the WWDC Keynote? (AIrPlay 2.0, HomePod, etc.)

36 replies
3097 views

1. HomePod:
I think after Apple's announcement today, Sonos might feel more pressure to push the Alexa integration for release. I hope Sonos figures this out soon.

2. AirPlay 2.0
AirPlay 2.0 is a direct Sonos competitor, although I am not sure how well it will work, at least right off the bat. For example, without a 'bridge' or 'boost', I am not sure how smooth AirPlay 2.0 would work in big houses. and would AirPlay transmit whatever sound from my phone (ringtone, youtube video, etc.)?

Overall I don't think most potential Sonos customers would go for HomePod instead. It doesn't offer a full home theater solution, and it's expensive (for the price of one, you can get two Play 1s right now with the promotion, and stereo sounds so much better). If Sonos can announce Alexa support soon, it would be a no-brainer for anybody in the market (an echo dot is only $40).

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J

johncanter

Enthusiast II

The Homepod looks interesting. I will be holding off purchasing any more Sonos products until more info on that is available (and until Sonos fix the unintuitive queue controls)

U

upstatemike

Homepod looks like a nice product for Apple fans but my main takeaways were:

1- Not out till Christmas... does this mean they are skipping Black Friday (when Amazon is going to sell about a bezillion Echo's)?

2- Kind of expensive to compete with Echo or Google Home and I don't see anything like an entry level Echo Dot competitor. Looks more like they are targeting Sonos than the Voice Assistant players.

I don't think this is going to pull in a lot of new customers... just a play to retain people already invested in the Apple ecosystem.

Local music library with carefully constructed playlists - no shuffling!, Integration with Homeseer Automation, No touch screen devices, No streaming services, No Apple products ever

J

Jayne Mansfield

Enthusiast I

I really hope this will give SONOS the kick in the pants they need to speed up their product development. Their app is clunky, could use improvement, and the Echo integration seems to be taking forever. I was thinking of buying a Playbase but no line in. What's up with that.

M

matiase

Trending Lyricist I

Homepod looks good , as a new owner of sonos 5.1 system , i love it , and like everyone else hoping for alexa integration

C

Chris Leduc

Lyricist I

My concern is that Apple is partnering with many speaker manufacturers to introduce a seamless experience within the ecosystem. The sonos app has always been the weak spot in the equation.

Im willing to sell my sonos equipment to have the convenience of using the iOS built in app and controls with my speakers.

Not seeing sonos on the list of AirPlay 2 companies was the biggest let down since finding out sonos didn't work with the built in app after purchase.

A

amvale

Trending Lyricist I

I think you nailed it! I have both Google Home and Amazon Alexa. They both have music solutions so Sonos will always be a second class citizen. I had hoped that Apple was going to have a major Sonos announcement today but instead made fun of this solution (which is worse than not being mentioned). Home automation is so fractured but is what is needed in a home assist. The initial HomePod is underwhelming as it ignores movie and outdoor music scenarios but while Apple is often late to the game they tend to get it right eventually. I don’t trust Amazon or Google the way I trust Apple so my focus may change. Sonos do something to truly wow me as there is a treat on the horizon!

M

maci2100

Lyricist I

i hope sonos will support these features too. Apple music comes also later, so there is a little chance that sonos implents it. Otherwise Sonos would be a little bit more unactractive =)

maci2100

S

Sputnick

Lyricist III

Same feeling here! Am an Apple user for 40 years (!) now, but I am on Spotify and Sonos (with Logitec Harmony). The HomePod announcement means HomeKit won't integrate Sonos soon, but also that Apple will slow down any integration of Sonos in the future!
The good news is competitors can go faster now and get as much as Apple users they can (all the ones that are not Apple Music clients!). It will take years before Apple opens the Homepods to other music services...
I was waiting the keynote, now I know I have to buy a Echo Dot to unite my Sonos speakers, Spotify Music and Hue lights! Looking forward to seeing what Sonos ans Echo do together (but afraid of being disappointed)!

S

sjw

Local Superstar

BBC 'mainstream' article says the new Homepod sounds superb and closes with this:
"So should Amazon and Google be worried by Apple's new gadget? Not yet. There's more than enough room for all of them, and besides, the real casualty in this race will be the likes of Sonos and Bose. Now simply sounding great is no longer enough."
I'm rather inclined to agree.

K

Kumar

Now simply sounding great is no longer enough."
I'm rather inclined to agree.

So am I, but sounding great will still be needed, and sounding great also includes high uptime - no stuttering/interruptions in music service. Sonos still isn't as perfect as wired legacy kit in this respect, but closer by far than anyone else to that goal. And for that reason, they still are very much in the game. But there is no doubt they have to pick up speed on things like Alexa integration and more going forward.

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