#SONOS SOFTWARE UPDATE SUCKS FREE#
In the future, device manufacturers may be less generous about promising a lifetime of free software support. The company’s tech-savvy fans could then continue to improve the software - which could be downloaded by other users - while Sonos focuses on its core competency of manufacturing high-end speakers. Sonos has already indicated that the company can remotely erase the software it could similarly perform a remote reinstallation of an open-source operating system such as Linux or Android. It would no doubt please these customers were Sonos to make their legacy speakers open source.
#SONOS SOFTWARE UPDATE SUCKS INSTALL#
In order to jailbreak the speaker, users must gain access to the internal hardware and install their own software. A Sonos speaker integrates a speaker and a microprocessor running a proprietary operating system. Sonos promised to keep the updates coming.Ī better long-term solution for the company might be found by looking to a different coalition of rebellious customers: a group that has been quietly reverse-engineering their speakers to liberate them from the company’s software entirely. Sonos customers lodged public complaints and bullied the company into submission. Once one product is no longer eligible for updates, the whole setup would stop receiving updates.
To minimize complexity, Sonos designed its audio system so that all devices in a home network would share the same software. Amazon can afford to underprice the Echo because it enables consumers to buy more stuff from Amazon Google and Spotify teamed up to give away Google Home Minis and even Apple recently lowered prices on its iPhones to grow a user base for its subscription services. Many manufacturers have shifted to business models that treat the device sale as a loss leader for future revenue streams. As technology improves and devices last longer, the initial manufacturing cost may end up being a small proportion of the total lifetime cost of production. Customers complained that they had spent thousands on their audio systems, with some products still on the market as recently as 2015.Ī hardware device is a one-time purchase, while software updates require continual labor. Most recently, Sonos got a lot of grief for announcing that older versions of its smart home speakers would soon lose access to services and functionality. Smart suitcases have turned dumb, talking toys gone mute, and wireless security cameras bricked into paperweights. How long should a manufacturer be responsible for maintaining support for legacy products?Ĭonsumer devices have increasingly become smart and connected, only to later be abandoned by the manufacturer.
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