End of Software Support - Clarifications

Based on the communication we’ve had so far I’m pretty sure the definition of splitting your system is that the legacy and the current will have absolutely no contact with each other.

The whole house audio facility will no longer exit. 

My email to Sonos CEO, Patrick Spence, subject “Why I didn't upgrade my Sonos components”:

Dear Mr Spence,

I note your email to customers apologising for the botched communication regarding software updates.

It remains unclear to me whether I will be able to upgrade my Sonos network bit by bit over the coming years, or whether an all-in-one approach is needed for reasons of compatibility.

While I never expected updates to happen indefinitely, I always assumed that Sonos would be clever enough to maintain compatibility when the inevitable happens. Clever enough from both a commercial and engineering perspective.

Please bear in mind that everything in my AV stand in the living room was purchased at a different time, and every time I upgraded a component it worked with all the others. The same goes for my entire home network. I am not about to start doing wholesale updates, but if you force me to then I will eradicate Sonos in one single step.

But I also want to tell you why I haven't got around to upgrading any Sonos component so far, my last major component being a Connect:Amp in 2014.

Firstly, you took away some of the magic when you stopped supporting dedicated controllers. Sure, the mobile app is convenient most of the time, but it can never compete with a real controller that switches on when I pick it up. I note that Bluesound offers a simple remote now, which helps to provide convenient control without fumbling for the phone and app. I would get this for the bedroom without a second thought.

Secondly, it was clear that the core hardware wasn't being upgraded. Save for the increased internal memory, there's no significant advance in your new Port model over and above the ZP80 that I purchased in 2006.

As you maintain the premium price point I expect 2.4/5GHz wireless ac, Gigabit LAN (yes that's right, some people might daisy chain off a single Ethernet port and Bluesound has this) and now for the big one: high definition 5.1 audio 96Khz/24-bit and an HDMI output. In other words, I expect your £400 Port to have equivalent capability to my £50 Blu-ray player.

I don't think that's too much to ask.

Unfortunately I have lost my trust in Sonos so even with a 30% discount I will sit out the current range. Even if you gave me a 90% discount, I just wouldn't feel excited unboxing these and setting them up.

If in the future you bring out advanced kit (look at Bluesound for example, and try to beat their specs), maintain the 30% discount and promise me 10 years updates from the day of purchase, then I will reconsider. With luck, you'll put all this in place before any part of my Sonos system fails (for whatever reason, updates or otherwise).

Finally, a real apology would help. You need to realise that your customers are people with hopes and expectations, not some business partner where you can open negotiations with a miserly offer and then say "ah sorry, I'll raise it then" when it is roundly rejected. You need to show empathy and understanding and accept that you personally have made a mistake so deep that you need to completely change your perspective on the situation.

The clock is ticking.

Yours sincerely,

Lars

More than 10 years old:
ZP 80 - £350 - 2006 - obsolete but still in use
CR100 - £300 - 2006 - obsolete
ZP120 - £350 - 2009 - obsolete but still in use
ZP120 - £350 - 2009 - obsolete but still in use

Less than 10 years old:
CR200 - £300 - 2010 - obsolete
CR200 - £300 - 2012 - obsolete
Play:5 - £350 - 2014 - obsolete but still in use
Connect:Amp - £400 - 2014 - obsolete but still in use
Boost - £90 - 2019
Boost - £90 - 2019

Prices are approximate and do not take into account inflation or the lower value of GBP.

I suppose I could have added that if they want to support stuff for only 5 years, then it needs to be half the price.

I’ll be keeping an eye on these results (this is the UK listing but you can try anywhere):

https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_nkw=sonos+connect%3Aamp&_sacat=0&LH_Auction=1&rt=nc&LH_Sold=1&LH_Complete=1

So long as the used price stays above or around 30% of the new price, it’s a better proposition than Sonos’ trade-up offer, especially when you consider the environment.

[Edit: oh, and the replacement component doesn’t have to be Sonos in this case - much more flexible.]

I must admit like many Sonos customers I was incensed by the email I received to say that my Play 5 Sonos Speaker would no longer be supported by software updates from May this year. This speaker was only bought in October 2017. To then tell me that I could spend more money with that company albeit with a discount beggars belief. I have never had any time for companies who use product obsolescence as a reason to lever more sales. 

Whilst I appreciate the “we’ve got it wrong” email from Mr Spence, I don’t think he realises how much damage has been done. I’m not going to be buying anymore Sonos products until they sort this mess out. Mr Spence, you have your work cut out. Can I suggest it starts with getting rid of the idiot responsible for issuing the original email....

Maybe. You’re placing a lot of store in a very vague assurance:

While legacy Sonos products won’t get new software features, we pledge to keep them updated with bug fixes and security patches for as long as possible.

Remember to read that in context - it’s coming from the same company short sighted or stupid enough to have created this situation in the first place and who published a financial statement saying ‘we’re going to screw our customers and they’re going to complain about it’. 
I would bet good money that ‘as long as possible’ will turn out to be ‘as long as it takes for everyone to forget about this’. 

In total agreement.

Thank you for letting me know that my very expensive Sonos music system is now life limited. I recently move to a larger house and was planning to buy more Sonos equipment to extend the system, but I certainly won’t now.

I won’t be backed into a corner and made to ‘upgrade’ at your prices. There are some great sound systems on the market at far less cost which can provide the features and services I need through my pc phone or tablet. 

You’ve lost my future purchases.

Replying to myself to add:

Plus - lets not forget the entire claim that the old and new products can’t be grouped together stinks out loud. We already know that different products with different capabilities can do this (see: airplay, or the ability for a device with 3.5mm/optical in to share its signal to lesser devices), and out of all the protocols in play here this is the simplest one for Sonos to control. It’s simply not plausible that they can’t do this - the only explanation is they’ve decided not to (either as leverage to force upgrades or because it will take more work for them than they think we’re worth), and that makes all of their promises suspect. 

Perhaps we should be asking for our money back...

Sent via web form to Onkyo:

Dear Onkyo,

Recently I have considered selling my 2009 Pioneer AV receiver and purchasing one of the Onkyo models instead. Although I am happy with my old receiver, I was excited to learn that you support control of the Sonos multi-room music system. This would remove the long-existing annoyance of having no integrated volume control.

Unfortunately, the future of Sonos is now in doubt, at least in my household, owing to their inability to promise a seamless upgrade path to new devices.

I am therefore writing to ask if you support any other multi-room audio system such as Bluesound. Onkyo has always had good reviews and I would love to become a customer, but unfortunately I need options other than Sonos before I can make the upgrade so that the system is future-proof.

Many thanks,

Lars.

 

A sign of where Sonos was heading can be found in the Port, released in September 2019, which lacks:

1. an optical port; strangely also dropped by Apple for its latest iMacs;
2. support for 802.11ac & 5GHz (the manual specifically states a requirement for 802.11 b/g/n); also not present for future use in the One or the Move;
3. Gigabit ethernet support; again a lack of future proofing;
4. Internal PSU;
5. 3.5mm jack.

These I view as cost choices, pure & simple. I wonder if the only real change to the internal electronics from the old Connect has been adding RAM.

They also leave you with a product, that will have a natural end-of-life due to lack of features - sooner or later you will need to upgrade/trade in the product to one with better WiFi or other connections.

I guess that sonos have learned from the original mistake of making long lasting products, now being aware of how they can control their life span in a way that seems natural to their customers.

It’s about £0.0000065 per second if you really want to make the figures look low, but who pays for their audio gear by the hour?

The point is, the upgrade they’re offering just isn’t worth it because the new hardware is hardly any better and it’s still not clear if it’ll work well with the old, if at all.

I’m all for a gradual upgrade, if it is actually worthy of the description, and if they give us more than 4 months’ notice.