LOS ANGELES: Speaker specialist Sonos is launching its first new speaker since its app debacle nearly two years ago, unveiling the compact Sonos Play that works over wi-fi at home and via Bluetooth on the go.
Thanks to two angled tweeters, the roughly 19-centimetre-tall Sonos Play can deliver stereo sound, and it is claimed to run for up to 24 hours on a single battery charge.
As a new entry model, Sonos is also introducing the Era 100 SL for €199 or US$189 (RM743), essentially a cheaper version of the last device without microphones or voice assistant support.
Sonos views the category as the backbone of its product family, according to chief executive Tom Conrad. He said the company had tried to create the perfect entry point into its system and hoped to reach millions of new households.
Priced at €349 or US$299 (RM1,173), the Play sits between the Era 100 (which needs a wall socket and costs €229 or US$219/RM859) and its larger sibling Move 2 (which is also mobile if needed and costs €499 or US$449/RM1,762).
A botched app overhaul
Sonos pioneered connected home speakers and built a loyal user base over about two decades. But a failed revamp of the smartphone app used to control the devices plunged the company into a deep crisis in May 2024.
The fundamental update was meant to simplify control and lay the technical groundwork for new products such as the first Sonos headphones, yet users complained about missing functions and connection problems.
It took months to iron out bugs and restore lost capabilities. Because of the repair work on the app, Sonos also delayed unveiling new devices. The problems cost Conrad’s predecessor, Patrick Spence, his job.
Sonos now promises not to make future app redesigns mandatory for everyone as in May 2024, but to test them on a larger scale first and initially not require the switch. Conrad said there were many lessons learned in the wake of the app debacle. That includes respecting user wishes even with the smallest changes.
He said the biggest mistake made by the Sonos management at the time was failing to recognise the performance weaknesses of the new app at scale in the real world. Sonos now has the necessary tools to put the software to the test before release, Conrad said. – dpa
