Sonos Cancels Plans for Apple TV-Like Streaming Box

[MacRumors]

Sonos has ended work on a high-end streaming set-top box that was expected to launch sometime in 2025, reports The Verge. Sonos informed employees of the streaming box's cancelation in a meeting today, and has reassigned those that were working on the product to other teams.

The set-top box was supposed to be Sonos' major product for the second half of 2025, and Sonos spent considerable resources on it. It was almost completed, and was even beta tested for months, but interim CEO Tom Conrad has decided to reprioritize Sonos' roadmap, and a push into video is no longer happening at the current time.

Sonos planned to compete with the Apple TV and other streaming boxes with its now-canceled "Pinewood" project, and the device would have been priced between $200 and $400. It was described as a simple black box with a "beautiful" Android interface that offered content from Netflix, Max, Disney Plus, and other streaming services.

Sonos wanted to reduce fragmentation in the streaming ecosystem, and to distinguish the streaming box from competing products, it would have doubled as an HDMI switch. Users would have been able to plug in gaming consoles, soundbars, and other devices using passthrough functionality, and it is said to have solved a latency problem that long annoyed Sonos.

Sonos plans to work on software improvements to continue to repair the damage done by last May's disastrous app update.

Article Link: Sonos Cancels Plans for Apple TV-Like Streaming Box

 

[ridgero]

Better it is!

 

[Think|Different]

Good! There's really no competing against it. I am sure it was just gonna be some Android TV thing, too.

 

[Homme]

😂😂😂😂

Thats what they get after that horrendous Sonos app redesign that none wanted but also from its domino effect which extends to this

 

[Amazing Iceman]

Yeah, they need to first fix any standing issues with their platform before embarking into the unknown.

 

[I7guy]

I know people like Sonos, but for me I would not buy a product from that company because I don’t trust they can do a good job.

 

[Johnny907]

Pretty sure this is just recognizing that the market is already saturated, and most new TV’s come with apps built in which is good enough for most households. Apple owns the high end market, leaving Google/Roku/Amazon to fight each other over the low end. No point in wasting money launching a competing device if it doesn’t bring anything that differentiates itself from the the high end or low end.

 

[xraydoc]

This was the right decision. I'm happy with my Sonos gear (again, now that the app is pretty much fixed), but just couldn't see the point in a streaming box. That's a tough market to crack and I don't think someone as relatively small as Sonos would have been able to turn a profit on it.

 

[bmark]

Apple needs to let go of the Sonos software engineers now!

 

[elvisimprsntr]

At least they abandoned the product before it got in the hands of customers. Win for customers.

 

[mookc1]

Apple can buy them anytime now.......

 

[BarrettF77]

It was another bad idea from that failure of a CEO before. Clean house. Fix the app. Get rid of the offshore support.

I don’t press one for English to hear someone who can barely speak it Sonos!

 

[Belisama]

Great, Sonos !
I think they should focus on something they do very well (IMO): speakers.

 

[boast]

I hope this is a good sign of correcting course and focusing on their bread and butter first: speakers.

 

[macmyworld]

App is pretty much fixed. Good move for Sonos to continue to focus on their core products.

 

[Dorfdad]

Kinda sad that Switch built in would have been a nice feature. Maybe apple will now add it in 10 years and claim it's new and inventive.

 

[BMox81]

It’s the right decision no doubt but still disappointing that it isn’t coming out as wanted to put it through its paces and the passthrough functionality.

One day we’ll get the true all in one solution.

 

[bLackjackj]

App is pretty much fixed.

Are you joking? The all is not fixed and it's been well over a year, Lol

 

[Itinj24]

Can’t see anyone in the Apple ecosystem pay between 200 and 400 for a streaming box running Android when the AppleTV is not only a top notch product but would be substantially cheaper. Am I wrong? Pretty much all TVs have an eARC port these days anyways and that’s all you need to integrate to an AppleTV running on a TV. What would make this a compelling buy for Apple users?

 

[bLackjackj]

Apple can buy them anytime now.......

Never going to happen. From the same people that said Apple needs to buy Peleton. 🤣..desperate Sonos execs.

 

[Plutonius]

That didn't last long .

 

[BMox81]

Can’t see anyone in the Apple ecosystem pay between 200 and 400 for a streaming box running Android when the AppleTV is not only a top notch product but would be substantially cheaper. Am I wrong? Pretty much all TVs have an eARC port these days anyways and that’s all you need to integrate to an AppleTV running on a TV. What would make this a compelling buy for Apple users?

As someone in both ecosystems I’d certainly have bought it-especially if it provided multiple HDMI ports with passthrough functionality.

 

[AppleofyourI]

Smart. They have enough damage to fix with their speaker ecosystem. Let them focus on that.

 

[canadianreader]

This is a clear example of the aftermath of eshittifying your platform. FAFO

 

[atonaldenim]

I also think the set top box / smart TV market is already overwhelmed + fragmented with too many competing platforms. However I would have liked to see Sonos’ take on this. The HDMI switching ability is very interesting, for one!

I love my Apple TV 4K but it could use a little more healthy competition, it feels like a low-priority device for Apple. Since the new remote launched (without a built-in Airtag or UWB finder sigh) it seems like the best thing we’ve gotten on tvOS is an extra column of home screen icons.

When I bought a new Sony TV with Dolby Vision a few years back (and also auditioned a Hisense Roku TV) I discovered the ATV has some bugs with flickering black levels that still pop up now and then. There are some papercut things like that I wish they’d put resources into fixing. Google TV, Tizen, WebOS, Roku etc. don’t seem to be giving them enough market pressure to do better.

Anyway I’m not a Sonos user, no skin in this game. I only have enough cash to blow on one overpriced premium electronics brand *cough Apple*