OPINION: The Sonos TV streamer would have been a failure the audio giant can ill afford at this time of crisis. The company is right to swerve an expensive mistake.
Sonos has reportedly cancelled plans to launch a TV set-top box according to a new report and, judging by everything we’ve heard about over the last few months, has saved itself from more embarrassment it couldn’t afford after a terrible 2024 that shook one of tech’s most illustrious names to its core.
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The Verge says Sonos top brass told employees on March 12 that it wouldn’t be moving forward with the device codenamed Pinewood even though it was “far-along” in development and had been planned as the company’s next major hardware release.
And, while the report says that leaves the audio giant without a big product for the rest of the year, it’s likely for the best. Reports had suggested Sonos had planned to charge up to $400 (around £320) for a set-top box that would offer tight integration with the company’s audio products like soundbars, speakers and subwoofers.
The box would have also reportedly doubled as a HDMI switch for connecting other devices like games consoles and Blu-ray players, potentially make it a hub receiver for all home entertainment products to play content through a Sonos audio set up.
However, for $400? We all know Sonos’ products are inherently expensive, but the company would have been laughed out of town trying to enter a cluttered market with a first-generation product at that price point, no matter how well it gelled with the company’s other products, the best Sonos speakers.
Besides, it has already attempted just that with the Sonos Ace headphones, which have not performed well either. A previous report in January had suggested the headphones “sales numbers remain dismal” and the company’s revenues were suffering as a result.
And Spotify could not afford another loser, especially given the self-inflicted wound caused by the ongoing mobile app debacle that cost the then-CEO Patrick Spence his job. One underwhelming product and a bad app update can be considered a slump. Add another botch to the mix and we have ourselves a company on the slide.
In many ways this shouldn’t be surprising. Tough decisions were going to need to be made to get the company back on track and this change of course will arguably do more to protect Sonos’ enduring reputation.
“I’ve heard from many of you about your own frustrations about how far we’ve drifted from our shared ideals,” said interim CEO Tom Conrad when addressing employees following Spence’s departure.
“There’s a tremendous amount of work in front of us, including what I’m sure will be some very challenging moments, decisions, and trade-offs, but I’m energised by the passion I see all around me for doing right by our customers and getting back to the innovation that is at the heart of Sonos’ incredible history.”
The chances of the TV box being a success seemed limited at best. It looked like a company desperately reaching rather than one striding into the future confidently, with a coherent direction.
Perhaps taking the rest of 2025 to take stock, sort the app out and return invigorated with new products that embody Sonos’ innovative spirit is the best call.
There’s no need to shoehorn itself into a category that isn’t an obvious fit, packed with established rivals and at a price point that would have turned off everyone but the company’s most hardcore fans. Well, those that are left after the great app cock-up.
