Sonos cutting support for older devices starting in May
Sonos is dropping support for certain devices starting in May, and is warning users that legacy devices in a mix will prevent newer devices from gaining crucial updates as well.
The announcement was made in a blog post, with the company attempting to explain why they're pulling support for the now-legacy devices.
In addition to pulling support for the products, users who continue to use the Sonos legacy products in a sound system will not receive updates to their modern devices. This would likely stop improvements to features like AirPlay 2, Apple Music from reaching even the newer devices.
Unsurprisingly, outraged customers have taken to Twitter to air their grievances.
Anticipating the backlash, Sonos has offered customers two options for moving forward. The first is simply to keep using their legacy products. This will prevent modern devices from getting updates, which will likely stop them from functioning perfectly down the road.
The second option is to trade up to a new product. Sonos is offering a 30% credit for each legacy product a user recycles.
If a user chooses to participate, the products will enter "Recycle Mode," which deletes identifiable information and prepares them for recycling by locking them down completely after 30 days. Users will then need to take their products to a certified recycling facility. If no recycling facility is available, Sonos will pay the user to ship a product back to Sonos for recycling.
Whether or not a user is choosing to participate in recycling, Sonos suggests users check to see if their products are losing support by checking the System tab in a sonos.com account.
The announcement was made in a blog post, with the company attempting to explain why they're pulling support for the now-legacy devices.
The legacy products losing support are the original Zone Players, Connect, and Connect:Amp (launched in 2006; includes versions sold until 2015), first-generation Play:5 (launched 2009), CR200 (launched 2009), and Bridge (launched 2007). The devices will no longer receive software updates or new features.We're extremely proud of the fact that we build products that last a long time, and that listeners continue to enjoy them. In fact, 92% of the products we've ever shipped are still in use today. That is unheard of in the world of consumer electronics. However, we've now come to a point where some of the oldest products have been stretched to their technical limits in terms of memory and processing power.
In addition to pulling support for the products, users who continue to use the Sonos legacy products in a sound system will not receive updates to their modern devices. This would likely stop improvements to features like AirPlay 2, Apple Music from reaching even the newer devices.
Unsurprisingly, outraged customers have taken to Twitter to air their grievances.
You have really not thought this through have you? People aren't going to pay again 6 years later for a whole new system with your pathetic discount. You will hemorrhage customers overnight and your reputation is down the pan. #sonos #ripoff
-- Sam (@CountessDracula)
Feeling so disappointed that @Sonos has chosen to ignore their old and faithful customers by no longer providing software for their older products like the PLAY:5.
This is a bad move for #Sonos and I think it'll scare a lot of new potential customers away-- Sren Granfeldt (@MrGranfeldt)
Anticipating the backlash, Sonos has offered customers two options for moving forward. The first is simply to keep using their legacy products. This will prevent modern devices from getting updates, which will likely stop them from functioning perfectly down the road.
The second option is to trade up to a new product. Sonos is offering a 30% credit for each legacy product a user recycles.
If a user chooses to participate, the products will enter "Recycle Mode," which deletes identifiable information and prepares them for recycling by locking them down completely after 30 days. Users will then need to take their products to a certified recycling facility. If no recycling facility is available, Sonos will pay the user to ship a product back to Sonos for recycling.
Whether or not a user is choosing to participate in recycling, Sonos suggests users check to see if their products are losing support by checking the System tab in a sonos.com account.
Comments
It's reasonable to keep a home sound system for 10 years. I'm sure many of you likely have seen people keep systems for far longer than this, but for the sake of the argument it's best to cap it here.
I think this shines well on Apple's efforts to keep their devices relevant - the latest version of iOS is still supported on devices as old as the iPhone 6 (released about 4 years ago) despite the addition of significant features, and the bulk of consumers upgrading handsets between 1 and 3 years.
For me, I do basic streaming. Nothing fancy. No AirPlay. My Sonos system will be useful (to me) for another 10 years assuming the parts still work!
I am thankful that they (Sonos) is still allowing my ZP's to work. I could care less about updates as I prefer things to stop changing and just stay the same and work.
I'm not sure if that means that I cannot update the Sonos app anymore, or if they mean that future app updates won't update my ZP's, but the latter seems like it could be a problem.
Point two: what Sonos is doing here is exactly why I do not buy “smart” gadgets if there’s a non-computerized version of something I need. It will become obsolete LONG before it physically wears out. I feel the same way about buying music gear that relies on computers (looking at you, Roli, Native Instruments, and every other company selling devices that are marketed with major features that require computer or iOS software).
Dumb electronics with physical connections only become obsolete when no one sells things that use their connectors. That takes a LOT longer (for something made using standard connectors). I will never buy Bluetooth speakers, earpieces, headphones, smart speakers, smart TVs, or any “internet of things” appliances.
No relying on software updates (that stop short of making the product operate reliably and correctly, and which will eventually stop supporting whatever they’re supposed to be connected to).
No services to be shut down when the seller decides it’s not profitable to maintain (making the devices and software relying on it entirely useless garbage).
The computer industry is one of the most egregiously materials-wasteful and customer-abusive industries ever. So much of this nonsense shouldn’t even happen in a sane civilization. Regulation is a necessity here (especially as it’s also the industry with the most laissez-faire capitalism cultists in its user communities, constantly promoting anti-customer and anti-environmental attitudes and myths). The responsibility should be legally placed on the companies selling products (who are the most informed about them), not on the customers buying the products (who are subject to the limited info provided by, and usually the failed promises of, marketing). Putting the onus of responsibility on customers to “control what the market offers” is absolutely backwards.
Not cool Apple?
We are slowly moving towards having this kind of stuff covered by legislation, which could see manufacturers obliged to state - at purchase - the minimum time the the devices will receive support for the features named on the box.
With software (in general) it's a miracle developers have been able to fix known bugs in paid upgrades and get away with it (along with removing features) but in industry terms this is still a young business and it always takes time for legislation to adapt to new realities.
The product has morphed into something that it wasn't back then. I still use it like I did a decade ago, apart from streaming from internet services instead of my own physical library.
While I understand that products cannot be supported forever, I also cannot afford to just ditch all my gear and pony up for $650 boxes that would serve the same purpose to me just because the company doesn't want to support my old devices anymore. I will milk my current setup as long as possible knowing that someday, the software apps (controllers) won't work anymore. Then I go find something much cheaper.
Come on Sonos - keep your customers loyal and likely to recommend your products to new customers rather than coercing them into an upgrade cycle that erodes that loyalty. New customers will benefit your bottom line far greater than reluctant upgrades from your existing customer base (that is likely to diminish with this sort of tactic).
I wonder what will happen when Apple decides to no longer 'support' the original $10K Apple Watch Edition...