Sonos is dropping support for products released between 2006 and 2009.
Apple no longer supports products released in 2014.
Not cool Apple?
I still receive security updates running MacOS High Sierra on my mid 2011 machines. I think at this point Apple still gives security patches 3 years after a machine has been obsoleted.
"not supported" does not equal "will stop working".
There are plenty of products, probably in most of our homes, that are no longer supported but continue to hum along just fine. I have an old iPod that still plays music just as well as the day it was new (ok, admittedly, the battery leaves a bit to be desired). My old AppleTV is also on the 'not supported' list, yet I'm still able to stream Netflix and Amazon Prime to my TV thru it without a hiccup. I'm pretty sure my so-called "smart" TV's stopped receiving updates about a year after purchase.
Your Sonos will continue to work, too, with the same spec as you bought it. But, as a 'smart' device there will be things that it can no longer support. This should be expected. AirPlay2 may require a different chipset, for example.
There is no evidence to support your assertion regarding Sonos. In fact, as I posted earlier, the wireless dock stopped working correctly pretty quickly after they stopped selling it. I could no longer browse the music on the connected phone past about the middle of the alphabet, so it “worked”, but in a way that was useless.
My Sonos Zone Players have, and continue to work as well as they did back when I bought them in 2007. They index and stream music from a music library on my NAS, as well as stream internet radio stations, to various parts of my home. As long as the Sonos app can continue to control them as it does today, I have no complaints whatsoever (12+ years of support is pretty incredible). I do have the old Sonos brick remote just in case, but it's much more convenient to just use my phone.
This is being seriously overplayed. The products will continue to work, but they won’t get anymore updates. My vehicles that are a few years old have not had any features added to it. Should I expect Toyota to buck up?
… AirPlay2 may require a different chipset, for example.
Yes, AirPlay 2 needs more processing power and memory. That's why it's only in the newer Sonos devices. You can link one supported device in a group with older devices and play AirPlay 2 content to the group. (I'm still amazed the last generation Airport Express has AirPlay 2. I wish I'd bought more than one).
Point one: AI still needs to learn to put third-party long form quotes in some kind of blockquote format, or at least put them in italics, bookended by quotation marks. This is basic formatting.
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.
Point one: the long quote is in a blockquote.
Maybe so, but this formatting doesn't appear on Safari for iOS, and it makes it very difficult to tell where the marketing material begins and the AI content ends.
Of course it is a bit disappointing that the rather expensive Play 5's are no longer supported. Could have upgraded to the new Sonos players, not really a big upgrade, so I upgraded to Bowers & Wilkins Formation Duo's / Bar / Flex and now we are talking really no comparison on quality of sound.
This is definitely in another league... Still have to decide what to do with my Sonos stuff, any ideas ?
This is being seriously overplayed. The products will continue to work, but they won’t get anymore updates. My vehicles that are a few years old have not had any features added to it. Should I expect Toyota to buck up?
Indeed the older products will still work - the issue is that newer Sonos kit that is supported and upgradeable will not be allowed to upgrade if your older products are in the same Sonos network alongside the new kit.
Sonos is dropping support for products released between 2006 and 2009.
Apple no longer supports products released in 2014.
Not cool Apple?
Apples and oranges. Sound systems versus phones/computers.
I still use a B&O system I purchased in 1995, i.e., 24 years ago. Works brilliantly.
And I'll still be able to use the amplifiers and speakers which are attached to my Sonos streamer boxes (Zone Players) for decades to come too.
The problem comes when you combine the two. Just like when you purchase an AIO computer instead of a computer + monitor, if you purchase a streamer box with a built in amp and speaker, you'll eventually get to a point where the streamer is obsolete even if the amp and speaker are still perfectly fine. Know the tradeoffs before you purchase.
If Sonos prevented my entire current system from upgrading because of one 'legacy' component, I would see that as a feature actually. That would be preferable to having most components upgraded but then no longer communicating with legacy components - which would effectively have become bricked. Sonos of late seems to care less about customer response. Many of us were not happy when Sonos stopped updating the OSX app, leaving customers to having to exclusively use iPhones to manage their systems. Also introducing VLAN issues with their latest iOS 10.6 update, with no warning of this and no mechanism to downgrade to a working firmware. Perhaps Sonos just believes that they might be bought by Apple, and less 'legacy product support baggage' will make them more attractive to buy.
tgey say something about separating your legacy devices from your supported devices.
Interesting idea. And one that might work nicely for me: my Connect:Amp is used for my outdoor speakers and I almost never join that device with any of my other Sonos devices. Really, it’s just for hot tub & bonfire music. If it can just sit on it’s own legacy area and not join the other speakers, I’m fine with that. As long as it can stream from Apple Music & my Plex library, I’m happy. I only use AirPlay 2 & other fancy features on the indoor speakers.
Anyway, that page had a little good news for my particular usage of legacy Sonos devices.
I wish they would send one more update to my Play:5 which turned it into an amplified dumb speaker. The sound is amazing, but the reliance on the Sonos software is infuriating.
This is being seriously overplayed. The products will continue to work, but they won’t get anymore updates. My vehicles that are a few years old have not had any features added to it. Should I expect Toyota to buck up?
I think one of the concerns is that if some of the streaming providers change their systems and make them incompatible with "old" Sonos devices, the devices won't be updated and therefore you'll have less functionality than when you bought it. No one expects support to last forever but five years for a not-cheap speaker is not long enough.
Some perspective: your old Sonos devices aren’t going to stop working as a result of this decision. If they play music today they’ll play music tomorrow.
Is it realistic to expect a manufacturer to provide unlimited software upgrades to a product forever? Does any company do this?
Let’s talk again if Sonos decide to pull the plug on older devices and render them bricked. Until then, keep enjoying your speakers for years to come.
We heard you. We did not get this right from the start. My apologies for that and I wanted to personally assure you of the path forward:
First, rest assured that come May, when we end new software updates for our legacy products, they will continue to work just as they do today. We are not bricking them, we are not forcing them into obsolescence, and we are not taking anything away. Many of you have invested heavily in your Sonos systems, and we intend to honor that investment for as long as possible. 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. If we run into something core to the experience that can’t be addressed, we’ll work to offer an alternative solution and let you know about any changes you’ll see in your experience.
Secondly, we heard you on the issue of legacy products and modern products not being able to coexist in your home. We are working on a way to split your system so that modern products work together and get the latest features, while legacy products work together and remain in their current state. We’re finalizing details on this plan and will share more in the coming weeks.
While we have a lot of great products and features in the pipeline, we want our customers to upgrade to our latest and greatest products when they’re excited by what the new products offer, not because they feel forced to do so. That’s the intent of the trade up program we launched for our loyal customers.
Thank you for being a Sonos customer. Thank you for taking the time to give us your feedback. I hope that you’ll forgive our misstep, and let us earn back your trust. Without you, Sonos wouldn't exist and we’ll work harder than ever to earn your loyalty every single day.
If you have any further questions please don’t hesitate to contact us.Sincerely, Patrick
Comments
I still receive security updates running MacOS High Sierra on my mid 2011 machines. I think at this point Apple still gives security patches 3 years after a machine has been obsoleted.
This is definitely in another league... Still have to decide what to do with my Sonos stuff, any ideas ?
I still use a B&O system I purchased in 1995, i.e., 24 years ago. Works brilliantly.
The problem comes when you combine the two. Just like when you purchase an AIO computer instead of a computer + monitor, if you purchase a streamer box with a built in amp and speaker, you'll eventually get to a point where the streamer is obsolete even if the amp and speaker are still perfectly fine. Know the tradeoffs before you purchase.
https://support.sonos.com/s/article/4786?language=en_US
tgey say something about separating your legacy devices from your supported devices.
We heard you. We did not get this right from the start. My apologies for that and I wanted to personally assure you of the path forward:
First, rest assured that come May, when we end new software updates for our legacy products, they will continue to work just as they do today. We are not bricking them, we are not forcing them into obsolescence, and we are not taking anything away. Many of you have invested heavily in your Sonos systems, and we intend to honor that investment for as long as possible. 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. If we run into something core to the experience that can’t be addressed, we’ll work to offer an alternative solution and let you know about any changes you’ll see in your experience.
Secondly, we heard you on the issue of legacy products and modern products not being able to coexist in your home. We are working on a way to split your system so that modern products work together and get the latest features, while legacy products work together and remain in their current state. We’re finalizing details on this plan and will share more in the coming weeks.
While we have a lot of great products and features in the pipeline, we want our customers to upgrade to our latest and greatest products when they’re excited by what the new products offer, not because they feel forced to do so. That’s the intent of the trade up program we launched for our loyal customers.
Thank you for being a Sonos customer. Thank you for taking the time to give us your feedback. I hope that you’ll forgive our misstep, and let us earn back your trust. Without you, Sonos wouldn't exist and we’ll work harder than ever to earn your loyalty every single day.
If you have any further questions please don’t hesitate to contact us.Sincerely,
Patrick
Patrick Spence
CEO, Sonos