End of Software Updates for Legacy Products

As an owner of 5 legacy products I find it really disappointing that I’m expected to spend around another £2k plus simply to continue enjoying music through SONOS.  I understand technology moves on, but to offer only a 30% discount is a kick in the teeth to all of those users who have supported SONOS for a number of years.  I would have expected at least a 50% discount to be quite honest.  

Given the market place is very different now from when SONOS was the new kid on the block, there are other alternatives out there which might be a viable alternative.  

Please rethink your strategy SONOS and consider all of us who saved hard to purchase your system in the first place. 

Martin

This is forced obsolescence and utterly deplorable. 
 

I have been a loyal Sonos customer for many years. My system consists of three Connects, a Connect:Amp and a Play:5 (gen 1). All imminently obsolete. 
 

The Trade up was a nice offer but now it is simply part of what is essentially blackmail: “trade up or else...”.  Insulting and immoral.

I actually looked at the new products when I noticed the Trade up offer a few weeks ago, particularly the Port. But two of my Connects use optical out to drive my speakers. There is no replacement for me. 

I was also looking at buying a surround sound system to go with a new TV. I had settled on buying a Beam, two OneSL’s and a Sub. Now that purchase is off. 

This is a huge mistake by Sonos. 

I started my system many years ago when Sonos was the only real option out there (it was Sonos or Logitech Squeezebox). 

Now there are lots of options. As Sonos is making my existing system redundant I’ll be looking for a surround sound system with more options than the Beam has; support for more than Dolby Digital, i.e DTS or Atmos.

Sonos has made me no longer wedded to its system at a time when there is more choice than ever. 

I could have been retained quite easily. Simply tell me that there would be updates to Legacy systems to ensure my iOS app controller and Spotify continued to work as they were updated and I’d be happy without any new features for newer systems. 
 

Abandoning long-standing and loyal customers is not a great business model. 
 

SONOS,

You might want to start collecting ALL of your long-time customer’s 2 cents being given here as it certainly doesn't seem like your planned obsolescence will be making you much money in the future…

I feel compelled to add my voice to those who are disappointed and angry at this decision by Sonos.  I will not upgrade and will run my current system until it ultimately fails and look for a replacement then.  I doubt Sonos will be in business at that point, so they will not be an option for a replacement.  Is there a forum where we can discuss options for a replacement system?

Listen Your Way

Customise your system and play what you want, where you want.

Now I feel absolutely misled about the product service I've bought into bought. 

2 months ago no plans to make devices obsolete. 

 

Shall we say that was not an “accurate” response…. 

Your strategy is sound and I will do the same unless Sonos offer a 50% discount and give me 24 months to go through the five-component upgrade.

Sonos has way more competition than it did 5-10 years ago. Given that Sonos just spat in the eye of its most loyal customers, I expect the market for alternatives will be booming in a year or two.

I have 4 play 5 V1 and I do not want to put 2000 pounds in the landfill or pay yet again a  more money for something is in prefect condition and works.

Please can you confim if I would be able to buy a Sonos port and use the speaker wireless. You need to give options to reuse that does not mean doing more wate to our planet.I'm sure you can adapt the software to avoid having to make more wate to our planet 

Sonos think alternative not just how to make money... 

This coming May, these legacy products—our original Zone Players, Connect, and Connect:Amp (launched in 2006; includes versions sold until 2015),

Det passer jo ikke det I siger, AMP blev solgt sent i 2017 bl.a. i HIFI-Klubben !

Nu siger I at der ikke længere er support efter bare 2 år og 3 måneder.

Alt under 5 års support må siges at være dybt u-seriøst.

Hvor bæredygtigt er det?

Hvor meget økonomi er det i det for kunden?

En meget skuffet kunde.

Always been talking well about Sonos but no longer, now we are cheated by you. I’ve got 12 loudspeakers in the house and 4 of them are Sonos 5, to replace them would cost quite a sum but I’m totally happy with them as the function today. If I won’t upgrade the software anymore I will get a system that won’t do the work it does today - it is always like that. Is this the way Sonos tricks us to continue paying a sum just to maintain the functions we thought we payed for. You should be able to do upgrades that maintain old and newer products. Do better!!!

Ulrik Sweden

 

Shall we say that was not an “accurate” response…. 

Lol this did not age well at all. Is anyone going to believe anything they say?  Wait till May.  This is some shady shit. 

Thank you for the update, but this is so disappointing. I only bought my system just on six years ago and now it’s almost obsolete? I should have stuck with Bose.

2 months ago no plans to make devices obsolete. 

they knew back then !!! I thought something was going to happen ….. probably like the rest of us !! 
 

obviously not had the uptake they’d hoped for so now using scare tactics to up the revenue !!! 

I have over 13 devices that will not be supported after May ranging from ZP100’, 80’s and Play 5’s.  To replace these units even with the “30%” off is not feasible.  I feel like this is hardware product abandonment.  Really disappointed in this announcement.

I purchased a sonos amp less than two years ago and now you tell me its legacy and i only get a 30% discount?  thats kind of a rip-off if you ask me.  what i really care about is music sources.  is it likely that say, apple music, will require a software update that renders my speakers unable to play apple music because they dont get updates?

Can't really believe this. It's totally outrageous. It was hard to accept Sonos ditching the CR100 controller - but this is  beyond the imaginary, I'm chocked.
 

Someone mentioned class action lawsuit earlier in the thread - I really hope that can be a way. Sonos will not change their mind and a 30% discount for being a very loyal costumer since 2006 is humiliating.

How disappointing that Sonos are prepared to abandon their earliest customers, who invested in Sonos products before they had a proven track record! 
Can those of us who are now “offered upgrades” for products that we are perfectly happy with, really be sure that there’s no commercial advantage being sought by Sonos or that our systems which have performed perfectly well to date will not deliberately be outdated by Sonos, who have the freedom to “outdate” as well as “update” our system software?

i would be interested in responses from both users and from Sonos.

John Mills,

Sonos user and advocate for 13 years. 

As been said already send the ceo an email, still waiting a reply tho. But as things stand another customer lost and already looking at alternatives. And just look at there share price falling faster than a stone in water. So long and thanks for the fish.

2 months ago no plans to make devices obsolete. 

Wow, somebody didn’t have the facts, or was told to lie! :(

Exactly how I’ll be doing it. Going old school. My parents still have the Yamaha system I grew up with in the 80s and it sounds great.

I just got the email saying my four Connect:Amps are not going to be supported after May. I have seen people suggest that they will just remain on the last supported version, but that is not a realistic solution, as app installs and future hardware replacements will surely be a problem eventually.

I am now planning to replace all my Sonos gear with some other solution, which is a shame because it has worked well for me.
 

Before retiring I was a software developer, and I know there are costs of maintaining support for older systems, but this smells more like planned obsolescence than a real technical problem, especially in light of the Sonos CEO talking about faster development cycles to increase profits.

In short, I am very angry.

I personally think this sucks, and is one more nail in the Sonos coffin from my point of view.  Lately the system has become very cludgy, frequently being unable to connect with my WiFi, necessitating a systemwide  reboot.  (Known problem about which others have complained in this forum). I can no longer access my music library.  This planned obsolescence takes the cake though.  I have $4000 worth of equipment which will no longer be supported, but hey, just buy the new stuff and all will be well!

I say , no mas, i am looking into new technologies and will use my Sonos stuff for door stops! 
Anyone else really angry about this?  So you buy the new stuff, and wonder when your equipment will once again be obsolete.

Beyond pissed.

”Without new software updates, access to services and overall functionality of your sound system will eventually be disrupted, particularly as partners evolve their technology.”

I totally understand this, and it’s been a great 8-10 year ride with the 4 Play:5 speakers that I have.  But at the very least, it would be great if I could continue using these speakers for many more years to come through the line-in input. Will I be able to do this? 

So if they introduce a new revised spec Play 5 this year, the gen 2 you may upgrade to in the coming weeks will soon be on a 5 year countdown to obsolescence in a few months.

Imagine blowing thousands replacing all this “legacy” equipment and you see the whole line getting a spec bump in the coming months? All of it will immediately be on the planned obsolescence train.

No thanks. I’m not gambling on what your product roadmap might look like. Not now you have a clear financial incentive to do micro-spec bumps to all products to get all existing devices on the planned obsolescence train.

Past performance is irrelevant. This strategy is new and follows you becoming a public company, as your recent filings warned everyone about. How long you have supported devices in the past when you were a private company is completely irrelevant.

The biggest kicker of all - the “innovation” chest nut. How much innovation have we seen within Sonos software in the past 5-6 years? You laid off your best engineering talent years ago, and your software shows it. Sure you’ve expanded support for a wide range of streaming services using APIs, but I am not convinced there’s anything there that really requires you to kill off old hardware. If anything, the use of streaming has reduced the stress of trying to manage large local libraries.