Hey Sonos community! 🌟 It’s our second throwback Thursday and this time we will cover the period of 2010 to 2014. Let's take a stroll down memory lane and chat about our exciting journey. These years were packed with cool innovations and milestones that really set the stage for what Sonos is today.
When it comes to the numbers we grew to 82,367 users, 65,813 of those were registered during this period. Several of you are still active to this day! We also had 170k posts created, so things were definitely kicking off on the community if you compare it with the 60.7k in the previous 5 years, and there weren't any signs of it slowing down!
During those 5 years, these 5 topics with the most replies:
- https://en.community.sonos.com/home-theater-228993/please-add-support-for-dts-for-the-sonos-playbar-4985155 (885 replies)
- With how many replies this topic got from 2013 to my data cutoff at January 2014, it shows how much this was something the community wanted.
- https://en.community.sonos.com/components-and-architectural-228996/zp-24-96-7951 (650 replies)
- In the 5 year period (2010 - 2014), even though it was posted back in 2007 it still made it to the second most popular topic. It shows that even then people wanted to play their FLAC files, without needing to compress them.
- https://en.community.sonos.com/controllers-and-music-services-228995/support-windows-8-rt-for-surface-tablet-and-windows-phone-8-for-mobile-devices-4593709 (586 replies)
- This topic shows how much technology has changed since then. I still have my Windows phone in a drawer at my desk. I wish it would have succeeded.
- https://en.community.sonos.com/old-content-from-life-with-sonos-229113/your-top-5-candidates-for-the-next-sonos-release-16747 (570 replies)
- I can now look back and see that we ended up implementing several feature requests over the years as the products became smarter and the app more advanced.
- https://en.community.sonos.com/old-content-from-life-with-sonos-229113/spotify-sonos-unstable-18246 (348 replies)
- This topic was created right after Spotify's release. It seems the servers couldn't handle the many Sonos users wanting to listen to their music over the cloud. Fortunately, they resolved the issue fairly quickly, and we later expanded to other services as well.
The period from 2010 to 2014 was marked by significant advancements for us, as we (Sonos) continued to innovate and expand our product lineup. Let's delve into some of the most important moments and technical achievements during these years.
2010: Building the Foundation
In 2010, we were laying the groundwork for some big things to come. We focused on refining our existing products and enhancing the overall user experience, setting the stage for the exciting releases that would follow.
But something that a few of you might remember, was the WD100. The wireless dock for the iPod!
Credit: H3-digital. They wrote a nice “eulogy” for the dock when it was discontinued.
I never used one myself, but I remember that back then, almost every speaker company made a dock, or a speaker with a built-in dock for the iPod. A friend of mine's dad even had a dock installed in his car 😅
Did you enjoy the times when docks like these were a thing? Do you want to see a comeback of this but with USB-C instead perhaps?
2011: Android Love and the PLAY:3
In 2011, we showed some love to Android users by launching the Sonos Controller for Android. This app gives users the ability to control your Sonos system right from your smartphone. It was a huge win for Android fans and made browsing music libraries and streaming services a breeze.
That same year, we introduced the PLAY:3 in July.
Credit: techradar
This mid-sized speaker was the perfect middle ground between the larger PLAY:5 and the later the more compact PLAY:1. It offered versatile placement options and solid sound quality, quickly becoming a favorite for building multi-room audio setups. It is still to this day my personal favorite, and I have two of them at home playing as well as the day they came out of the box.
2012: The SUB Arrives
In May 2012, we launched the Sonos SUB, our wireless subwoofer. Here is the announcement video showing off its performance:
Credit cnet
This addition brought deep, rich bass to the Sonos experience, enhancing the sound quality of our speaker systems and providing a more immersive listening experience. It probably was also the scourge of many neighbors with how deep and loud the SUB could be.😂
2013: PLAYBAR, and New Friends
In February, we introduced the PLAYBAR, our soundbar speaker that brought the Sonos sound experience to TV, movies, and games. Here is the “golden” announcement 😉
Credit: support.sonos.com
It was designed to deliver powerful, immersive sound and seamlessly integrate with our existing wireless speaker systems. If you haven’t had the chance to listen to it, I would recommend doing so if you know someone that has one. It is still a great speaker with a nice deep bass, even without the Sub!
Later that year, in October, we launched the PLAY:1, a compact and affordable speaker that brought our high-quality sound to more people.
Credit: ystudios
Despite its small size, the PLAY:1 packed a punch and quickly became a go-to for anyone starting their Sonos journey.
It also worked great as a surround speaker for the Playbar and quickly became one of the bundles people would purchase when they wanted a home theater system that only required power to the speakers, and could avoid running speaker wires all around the living room.
Plus, we teamed up with major music streaming services like Spotify and Pandora, giving everyone even more ways to enjoy their favorite tunes.
2014: The Boost
In 2014, we introduced the Sonos Boost, a device designed to enhance the reliability of our wireless mesh network “SonosNet”.
Credit: richersounds
The Boost helped improve wireless performance for homes with poor Wi-Fi coverage, ensuring that everyone could enjoy uninterrupted music streaming throughout their home. These days the Boost and Bridge aren’t as useful with their 2,4ghz signal. Most routers these days have better range, or utilize a mesh network that works with all devices, not just Sonos. But it was a great upgrade to the Bridge, which at the time was starting to show its age.
Do any of you still use your Boost? What made you stick with it, even if your network has gotten better since you got it?
Wrapping Up
From 2010 to 2014, we made some serious moves, expanding our product lineup, enhancing user experiences, and forming key partnerships. These years were crucial in making Sonos a household name in wireless audio.
Got any favorite Sonos memories or products from back then? Share your thoughts down below! 🎶
If you’re a Sonos fan, why not take a moment to revisit your favorite Sonos product from this era? 🚀
Next week, you'll have the chance to showcase your Sonos setups over the years. So, now is the perfect time to tidy up and make them presentable! 😉
