End of Software Updates for Legacy Products

This is sad on so many fronts. I was concerned that the trade up programme was an attempt to poison the 2nd hand market. After all it was only a matter of time before bricked products were being sold.

Now the fact that all my ‘Modern’ products will stop receiving updates unless I remove my legacy products, makes me feel like the sword of damocles hangs over my investment. The day the Play:1’s are retired will wipe out a lot of equipment.

The fact is Sonos have a working mesh system now that by and large is very good. All the old equipment supports it. Are they really trying to say that they are going to make changes to thier own system that renders it incompatible with the earlier versions?...there is absolutely no reason for this unless the modern equipment is so close to the edge that they cannot accodate the code to support both the legacy sonosnet and whatever fantastic unrequested features they are planning. Simply put there is no need to stop upgrades to ‘Modern’ devices simply because a legacy device exists.

If and it is a big if, there is a technical reason why the current generation will not be able to stay compatible with the classic sonosnet and the ‘new’ future then the solution is simple. Introduce a SonosHub. SonosHub can then register any legacy products, talk to them using the existing protocols and translate between the classic sonosnet and whatever it evolves into.

Make it cheap enough and I figure many of us would accept that the SonosHub will require periodic upgrades. So as long as you have a SonosHub that is no older than say 5 years it will keep all your existing Sonos gear alive without freezing the support of ‘modern’ equipment. An income stream, and customers that are not worried about the next wave of disconinued products.

Alternatively let the community do the heavy lifting. Give us the ability to develop our own software and upload it to our devices and we will fix this problem of legacy support in no time. 

I think Sonos is missing the major hit on reputation that this represents. Their products are not cheap, but have had a reputation of lasting a long while. Today that is evaporating. 

I don't understand the decision to obsolete such recent products, much less why Sonos needs to constantly upgrade the software, since I don't really see any new features appearing and the current  functionality is pretty solid.

If Sonos sticks to this decision, I might as well ditch all my Sonos equipment...replacing all components every 4 or 5 years doesn't justify sticking with this system.  

Fortunately Airplay 2 is opening up the game for other players with deeper pockets, so alternatives are starting to appear.  Losing customer loyalty in what will be a crowded market may be the kiss of death for Sonos in the long term.

I bought all my sonos equipment end of 2015 and am shocked to see the announcement that software upgrade support is ending so soon.  I suspect this is more about Sonos financial performance and need to push the new products vs. the 2015 technology not supporting today’s needs.  Definitely not hard to write software that works across hardware with different capability levels and feature sets.

I’m going to post a review on Amazon to warn folks not to purchase the Connect and Connect:Amp products that I currently have with a link to the announcement since these are still for sale with no warnings about impending loss of software upgrade support.

Thanks bonervz! The DAC in the Node2i is supposed to be WAY better than anything Sonos is providing, so yes, Bluesound may be the answer. The big Q is of course--will NAD/Bluesound be there for me in 5 years? What about 10 years? Insight wanted.

Another important Bluesound question is about any Sonos patent infringement, that can put them in a world of hurt.

Can someone point me to where Sonos made me aware when I purchased their equipment that they only guarantee software support for 5 years and that they would at some render the equipment useless by refusing to support that equipment?  

My lawyer has asked me to provide them with a copy of the sonos terms and conditions that sets this out.

Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.

I will not support a company that will not stand behind their products. I too am out.

Sonos, I really had a WTF moment today. You told me that my March 2015 Play 5 was considered a legacy device that would no longer be supported from May onwards. Hmm…..How to put it?

I am not angry; it’s worse, I am disappointed. Of myself. For having defended Sonos against criticism and skepticism by friends and family.

Sonos is overpriced for the sound it delivers, they said.
Sonos’ proprietary architecture will lock you in, they said.
You will invest in more and more speakers over the years, but Sonos will always keep the kill-switch, they said.

Worry not, was my response.
It’s a great product; a great experience, I said.
They won’t let the customers down with product support, I said. Why so sure, they asked. To which I answered: They won’t because they cannot afford it. Because Sonos are aware of one critical fact: a vendor-lock-in business model (such as theirs) is doomed to fail if it does not come with premium service and long-lasting support.

I should have known better.

And then the way that decision (to abandon “legacy” devices) was communicated. It did not sound like there was a customers’ advocate in the room when that decision made. Sure, taking pressure off the dev department and increasing the chances of selling a lot of additional units sounds like a win-win. Sounds like it, until negative-network effect kicks in. Many of the customers who are affected the most are (read: “were in the past”) Sonos’ strongest promoters.

- “Let’s get a Sonos system, it looks really cool.”
- “Yeah, I know, but you know, my uncle Tommy had this system with 18 speakers. He spent thousands on it you know. And then Sonos dropped support for 11 out of 18!”
- “Shit!! Ok, no, I don’t want to end like that!”

So! Ok! I’ll admit that technology is changing and I personally know the challenge of supporting and maintaining legacy systems. But somehow… I don’t believe you that there was a technical problem at the heart of the decision. “Since launching our first products, technology has advanced at an exponential rate”. Come on, give me a break. I have wanted streaming audio across rooms five years ago and I want streaming audio across rooms today. So, I wonder what has changed at an exponential rate here? Old processor cannot handle Alexa? Great, that’s a plus. Processor cannot handle AirPlay. Ok, so I’ll accept that missing feature, as I have done in the past with Play5. That’s what I would expect. But why throw all modern devices in the same system under the bus as well? What has changed now compared to missing AirPlay support? Nothing. It is a deliberate decision by Sonos to make their lives easier by stopping development support for older hardware, like mine from 2015.
 

Or is there a real technical reason? Then please give us some details, so I can judge on my own whether Sonos deserves my money in the future. But don’t treat us like idiots… 
Or are you saying that 5 years ago you sold me some completely outdated technology as something state of the art?

nicely summarized and valid points.  let see if the company clues in and acts/responds appropriately !

Well, I was in still in the process of building out my system with a few rooms to go.  I will be selling my speakers and moving on to a new system.  I don’t do business with people who are so brazenly and unabashedly dishonest.  This is pretty high up on the Mount Rushmore of corporate greed for a company that previously had a strong brand.  It is no coincidence this is occurring as your sales are decelerating after recently going public last year.  Very disappointed.  It is a good lesson to be wary of connected devices going forward.  The ability to reach into my home and destroy property should not be your right.  If a burglar broke into my home and did so, he would go to jail.