Sonos speaker
The future plans of Sonos go beyond a streaming set-top box and a smart speaker, with a roadmap for the next two years pointing to a lot of new premium products that are allegedly on the way.
In late November, it was reported that Sonos was taking aim against Apple’s AirPods Max and Apple TV with its own over-ear headphones and a set-top box. Now, it seems that the speaker maker has plans to bring out quite a few products in 2024.
Published in Sunday’s “Power On” newsletter for Bloomberg, Mark Gurman says there are new in-ceiling 8-inch speakers, as well as headphones codenamed “Duke” arriving in the first half of 2024. In the middle of the year, the Sonos Roam 2 (“Sidecar”) is expected to reach.
A new “high-end amp” codenamed “Premier” is set for the second half of 2024, with a late 2024 arrival anticipated for a “high-end sound bar” codenamed “Lasso.” The set-top box, codenamed “Pinewood” will be turning up in either late 2024 or early 2025, the report adds, while a subwoofer codenamed “Lotus” is set for a 2025 release.
A version of Sonos Era 100 for businesses, given the name “Raven,” is expected in 2024.
The roadmap doesn’t just limit itself to hardware, as a Sonos app update titled “Passport” that adds controls of mobile products will seemingly turn up in late 2023 or early 2024. Sonos Voice Control 2.0 is also on the way, again for late 2024.
Gurman adds that there’s no word on an update to the Play:5 speaker at this time.
The roadmap is deemed “aggressive,” with the aim of reviving sales for the company. However it is also facing skepticism from the headphones and streaming video rumors.
With headphones being a highly competitive market and the TV services market “extraordinarily crowded,” Sonos will have a hard time cracking each with its new products. The Sonos strategize, though is to try and beak its rivals by using its audiophile credentials and the “ability to fine-tune the sound” to its advantage.
