Contributor III

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

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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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Smilja

Folks, a presentation is not equivalent to a practical application. It remains to be seen how well Airplay2 and the HomePod will do in the (multi-room) field.

»And the world is like an apple whirling silently in space, Like the circles that you find in the windmills of your mind.« (›Windmills Of Your Mind‹ [1967]. Music by Michel Legrand ; English lyrics written by Alan & Marilyn Bergman)

T

Toolio

Prodigy II

Folks, a presentation is not equivalent to a practical application. It remains to be seen how well Airplay2 and the HomePod will do in the (multi-room) field.

That's true, of course. But as we all know, Apple in many cases mows down those standing in their way. I'm not among those predicting the demise of Sonos, but certainly this is a wakeup call. Not advancing rapidly at this stage certainly won't do Sonos much good. The more crowded the field, the smaller the piece of the pie and the shorter the attention span of customers.

Smilja

That's true, of course. But as we all know, Apple in many cases mows down those standing in their way. [...]

We will see – for the very reason that Apple is missing the charismatic leadership of Steve Jobs. However, it is all in the eye of the beholder, as the old saying goes.

»And the world is like an apple whirling silently in space, Like the circles that you find in the windmills of your mind.« (›Windmills Of Your Mind‹ [1967]. Music by Michel Legrand ; English lyrics written by Alan & Marilyn Bergman)

chicks

iOS is installed on just 18% of smartphones sold last quarter. Android is on 80%. There's simply no chance this new gadget will be a threat to Amazon, which is partners with Sonos. Another Apple fanboy pipe dream.

T

Toolio

Prodigy II

iOS is installed on just 18% of smartphones sold last quarter. Android is on 80%. There's simply no chance this new gadget will be a threat to Amazon, which is partners with Sonos. Another Apple fanboy pipe dream.

How is the Amazon partnership working out for you so far?

chicks

How is the Amazon partnership working out for you so far?

Amazon unlimited music working beautifully on my Sonos, as is the Dot into my Connect. How's the new Apple speaker working out for you? Oh, wait..

T

Toolio

Prodigy II

How is the Amazon partnership working out for you so far?

Amazon unlimited music working beautifully on my Sonos, as is the Dot into my Connect. How's the new Apple speaker working out for you? Oh, wait..

I also have a Dot into my Connect. Pretty useless, IMHO. I have Amazon unlimited, whose selection pales in comparison to the other music services I use. So I don't like it much. But at least it's almost free (sort of--I think with all the discounts I pay $4 a month). I use an Android phone, and control Sonos with both an iPad and a Samsung tablet. Regardless of your opinion, Sonos needs to pick up the ball and run a little faster at this point. This is starting to remind me of the newspaper business (of which I was once part). Most newspapers saw no threat from this thing called the internet, so they fell so far behind they are now either gone or teetering on the edge of bankruptcy. The smart ones saw the writing on the wall, got ahead of the game and are still in the running. However, they were few and far between.

jgatie

That's true, of course. But as we all know, Apple in many cases mows down those standing in their way. I'm not among those predicting the demise of Sonos, but certainly this is a wakeup call. Not advancing rapidly at this stage certainly won't do Sonos much good. The more crowded the field, the smaller the piece of the pie and the shorter the attention span of customers.

Apple hardly mowed down the competition with Airplay 1. Matter of fact, it was obsolete the day it came out, and its architecture was rejected by every streaming device/scheme released since, (ironically) in favor of the direct-from-source architecture originally deployed by Sonos. They've also had some spectacular failures in the speaker hardware area (iPod Hi-Fi anyone?) Apple is a lot of things, a speaker manufacturing juggernaut who "mows down" the competition is not one of them.

K

Kumar

Apple is expensive, but it does have distinct USPs that are slickly marketed to allow the capture of the premium paying market. I don't see enough of them here and I doubt that people that buy this just because it is from Apple will be enough of a market.

That said, I never saw any sense in the iPad, and I still don't but there is large market for them.

Y

ymrajam

Lyricist I

I've had so many problems with the Sonos app on my iMac that I'm done with their products. Can't wait for the HomePod's to hit the market. The Songs app will not even start up anymore...rendering all of my speakers as useless paperweights.

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