Sonos will stop updating its 'legacy' products in May

guest · Jan 21, 2020

Sonos will stop updating its 'legacy' products in May
January 21, 2020
https://www.engadget.com/2020/01/21/sonos-legacy-products-software-updates-ending/

Sonos is continuing to distance itself from some of the oldest products it has sold over the years. Starting in May of 2020, a group of "legacy" products will stop getting software updates and new features, the first time that the company has decided to end updates for a whole set of its products.

The company says this is because the technical capabilities of those devices has essentially been maxed out due to limitations on memory and processing power -- a reasonable argument, considering some of these products are more than a decade old. After May, these devices will continue working as they did before, but any new features Sonos offers won't work.

Sonos was clear in its blog post on the news that its old products aren't being phased out -- they'll continue to work for the foreseeable future. [...] if you want to replace these devices after software updates end in May, there's always eBay rather than Sonos' own recycling program.
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Sonos: Software updates are ending for our oldest products

Starting in May 2020, some of our oldest products will no longer receive software updates or new features. We want to explain why and your options.
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guest · Jan 22, 2020

Sonos speaker update sparks anger
January 22, 2020
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-51206604

Many say they have spent hundreds of pounds on Sonos speaker products for their homes over the years.
Newer Sonos products connected with the older ones will also be left out of future updates.

Richard Street told the BBC he had spent £1,000 ($1,300) on two Play 5 speakers. Even with the upgrade discount he believes it would cost him around £700 to replace them.

"There is a feeling among the community that if Sonos gets away with this then they will do the same with all kit over time."
BBC technology correspondent Rory Cellan-Jones tweeted it was "very poor marketing and damaging for the brand".
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guest · Jan 22, 2020

Sonos Makes It Clear: You No Longer Own The Things You Buy
January 22, 2020
https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/3a8dpn/sonos-makes-it-clear-you-no-longer-own-the-things-you-buy

In a blog post, Sonos says owners of these legacy systems have two options: they can simply keep using the products, understanding they won’t receive new features, bug fixes, or software and security updates. Or users can trade in the older gear while nabbing a 30 percent discount on the purchase of a new Sonos system.

The first option potentially opens customers up to security headaches in an era where internet of things devices are routinely hacked. Sonos’ second option, its trade-in program launched last October, came under fire just last month for being wasteful.
Nathan Proctor, the head of USPIRG's Right to Repair Campaign, told Motherboard that Sonos’ decision to leave consumers between a rock and a hard place is emblematic of a tech industry in which sustainability, security, and consumer rights are often distant afterthoughts.
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But by and large, most companies are far more interested in hyping and selling the next round of products than spending money to make sure older customers remain happy.

“This is something that these companies are just neglecting,” Proctor said. “Sonos is like the opening salvo. There will probably be a wave of these things that happen over the next couple years. And eventually, people are going to start being really upset about it.”
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guest · Jan 23, 2020

The Future Doesn’t Last
January 23, 2020
https://onezero.medium.com/the-future-doesnt-last-98cabae2404

Software is both a lock and key. It can bring us to the future and keep us from it.
Without software updates, the products will not keep up with an evolving ecosystem of music streaming services and other connected devices.

Sonos has built its business on smart speakers that generally rely on software and wireless technology to function.
"As we’ve written, creating gadgets is inherently destructive, requiring a huge energy expenditure for materials to be stripped from the earth and processed in factories.
But in more practical terms, there is not an unlimited supply of material on this planet from which we can create new products.

So Sonos, and companies like Sonos, are in a tricky position: How can they talk about “Sustainability” when their products are doomed to death by software?
They could dedicate themselves to modular design, to reclaiming and reusing every part from old devices.
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guest · Jan 23, 2020

Sonos Backtracks: Legacy Devices Will Get Updates After May
January 23, 2020
https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/ne...ks-legacy-devices-will-get-updates-after-may/

In an email being sent today to Sonos customers, CEO Patrick Spence apologized for the original plan and stated that they will continue to offer security updates and bug fixes to legacy equipment. New features, though, would only be available on newer 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. [...]
They also stated that they are working on a way to allow new devices to continue to receive software updates when used on the same system as older discontinued products.

Spence states more details about the plan to have modern and legacy products working together will be released in the coming weeks.
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Sonos: A letter from our CEO: All Sonos products will continue to work past May

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