Why Can't I listen to my music through my Computer?

By being blunt, you are not being sharp. Also, see my earlier comment regarding the software detecting an existing component. Given that there are plenty of other freeware programmes that can play streamed or stored music, what damage do you think would be done ? The advantages include brand exposure and try before you buy to name but two. The software could be set to expire after 90 days if no player was detected. It really isn't rocket science and neither is it the rather melodramatic "corporate suicide".

By being blunt, you are not being sharp. Also, see my earlier comment regarding the software detecting an existing component. Given that there are plenty of other freeware programmes that can play streamed or stored music, what damage do you think would be done ? The advantages include brand exposure and try before you buy to name but two. The software could be set to expire after 90 days if no player was detected. It really isn't rocket science and neither is it the rather melodramatic "corporate suicide".

Great, go create your own company then. Let's see how long it takes to achive $1B in sales with your obvious marketing savvy.

By being blunt, you are not being sharp. Also, see my earlier comment regarding the software detecting an existing component. Given that there are plenty of other freeware programmes that can play streamed or stored music, what damage do you think would be done ? The advantages include brand exposure and try before you buy to name but two. The software could be set to expire after 90 days if no player was detected. It really isn't rocket science and neither is it the rather melodramatic "corporate suicide".

Tell that to Squeezebox . . . Oh wait, you can't, BECAUSE THEY PUT THEMSELVES OUT OF BUSINESS! :8

I think you mean Logitech and on the contrary, they are doing rather well. Just Google their share price if you don't believe me, it is currently over 25 CHF. Their squeezebox was a bit of a duffer but it failed for a host of other reasons.

The SONOS Connect was designed to allow people to hook up their old speakers to their SONOS controller, so they can stream music to them. Playing music from your macbook speakers is not the intended use case of a SONOS connect. No one is buying a SONOS Connect to hook up their mediocre computer speakers to the SONOS network. SONOS would not be losing sales by allowing people to do so.

I believe that some of you are overestimating the difficulty of adding music player functionality directly to the SONOS controller application, while simultaneously underestimating the danger of not responding to market conditions. All major operating systems have an API that easily allows you to play music. I have done it myself on the Android platform. If SONOS is concerned about people hooking up a Raspberry Pi to a speaker, they can handicap the controller so that it only plays from one controller at a time (plus the speakers). This would make it impossible for people set up the dreaded Raspberry Pi network.

Would there be a cost in implementing this functionality? Of course. But the threat from lost sales due to new customers getting frustrated and confused by the inability to play music from their controller almost certainly outweighs this cost.

As others have noted, the accusations that these customers are trying to "cheat" SONOS is both needlessly insulting and also demonstrates a clear lack of understanding about current consumer expectations. Most consumers will not understand why they can't play music from their local computer. This is just the new reality. It is not 2004 anymore. Consumers have greater expectations of connectivity.

And honestly, forget Raspberry Pi. The real danger are the new wave of connected speakers, like Amazon Alexa, Google Play and the myriad wireless speakers that are being released. Yes, I know that SONOS sounds much better. But we live in a world where people primarily listen to music from smartphones, bluetooth speakers and -- yes -- their computer speakers. They are potential customers who are being needlessly alienated. If Amazon or Google release a "hi fi" wireless speaker, SONOS will be in mortal danger. And don't think this won't happen. These companies are constantly refining their product and ruthlessly exploiting.

You don't have to agree with me. Eventually, Apple will probably buy SONOS and integrate it with iTunes anyway.

As said, with all that business acumen and marketing savvy, you all should be in the multi-room speaker business. And I could accept your dismissal of the Raspberry Pi threat, if the Raspberry Pi threat hadn't actually contributed to the demise of the only multi-room speaker company to offer the exact functionality you are asking for. Squeezebox said the same marketing mumbo-jumbo for years about Softsqueeze -" Oh, it lets people try before they buy!" "Oh look, a free zone encourages people to buy the actual hardware!"

Yeah, right. Reality is, people too cheap to buy the hardware used the promotional software to create their own, and the line crumbled. Sorry, but that's reality, and reality trumps your marketing theory every time.

As to the rest of your post, Sonos just partnered with Amazon to be the high quality Alexa speaker, so no threat there, and if I had a nickel for every time someone incorrectly predicted Apple will buy Sonos, I could afford a new Connect to use with my PC speakers. 😉

iTunes? Listening via desktops? What is this, 2004?

I think you mean Logitech and on the contrary, they are doing rather well. Just Google their share price if you don't believe me, it is currently over 25 CHF. Their squeezebox was a bit of a duffer but it failed for a host of other reasons.

No, I mean Squeezebox, the division within Logitech. And I know full well the party line explanation for their failure, and I dont buy it for a second. The fact is, their forum was rife with hints about Softsqueeze/Raspberry Pi zones, and it wasn't too long after the failure that the home grown market seemed to appear out of nowhere (except it was really there all along).

I have to agree with jgatie that the "try before you buy" argument makes no sense since you are not trying an actual Sonos product by using a software emulator. Sonos doesn't need to sell people on their free controller software but rather on their hardware streamers and they do this by offering a 30 day window to return them if you buy one and find you don't like it.

I am not as convinced about the homegrown market killing Squeezebox... it might have done so eventually but the real killer was Logitech and corporate politics which doomed the product before technology or market forces had a chance to impact it one way or the other. If Slim Devices still owned it the result might have been the same or it might be that they would have been quicker and more savvy about how to capitalize on their invention. We will never know for sure.