Comments on: Will Sonos Ever Be the Next Big Thing?

By: Michael Wolf

Michael Wolf — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 00:36:18 +0000

Alot of folks do use Airtunes/Airport combo for music streaming and its pretty good solution. There is a difference, though, such as the fact Airtunes/Airport can’t really support a big multizone implementation like Sonos or Logitech/Squeezebox, and there’s no real mix of amplified and non-amplified clients.

Also, you’re wrong about Apple being a fraction of the cost, especially if you start looking at Logitech/Squeezebox pricing relative to Apple pricing, and Squeezebox is a true multizone wireless music system.

By: texasyellowdog

texasyellowdog — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 23:58:27 +0000

What am I missing? Is there anything the airTunes/Airport Express/AppleTV/iPhone/iPod Touch ecosystem won’t do at a fraction of the cost?

By: Michael Wolf

Michael Wolf — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 20:16:32 +0000

@Mari – You’re feedback on Squeezebox echoes what I’ve heard, as well as the feedback on Sonos. Overall, the experience is one of those that, like a DVR, makes people converts almost instantly.

I think install has to be drop-dead easy, and from what I”ve seen and heard that is the case. I think the complication Ken is speaking of is the marketing and sales of the products – naturally there are going to be questions about how many zones, how to integrate with existing equipment, etc.

RE the Web Tablet – I think there is a big gap in the market too – as I’ve written here (http://pro.gigaom.com/2009/05/is-the-age-of-the-web-tablet-finally-upon-us/ ) – and great point on connecting the two markets (web tablets and networked audio). Clearly, Sonos has seen an accelerator effect with the iPhone on their product and we could see the whole category start to take off with more widely used tablets that serve as a master remote for the home.

By: Mari Silbey

Mari Silbey — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 19:52:20 +0000

It doesn’t have to be complicated. I’ve owned a Logitech Squeezebox for two and a half years, and it couldn’t have been easier from day one. I haven’t networked it in the sense of installing receivers around my home. (my home’s not that big) Instead, it’s networked in the sense that it’s connected to the Internet (endless functionality!) including my Slacker music account. I get the same custom stations, genre stations, and access to my music library that I can get on my Slacker portable player and on my PC. Plus I have easy access to local radio streamed on the Web, and all the NPR podcasts I want. How did I set up my Squeezebox? I plugged it in, found my Wi-Fi network, and voila.

As far as how these things get adopted, I wouldn’t be surprised to see networked audio take off right around the time we get a well-executed Internet-connected tablet for the home. Audio will only be part of it, but I believe consumers will latch on to the functionality even if it’s not why they buy the product in the first place. I’ve written several times about home tablets over at Zatz Not Funny (reviewed a touch-screen wireless photo frame with widgets this morning), and Dave leaked today the news that Logitech is apparently working on its own version of this type of product. http://www.zatznotfunny.com/2009-06/new-logitech-squeezeboxes-on-the-way/ Exciting news in my book.

By: Jon Wirt

Jon Wirt — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 17:55:58 +0000

I’ve had the opportunity to play around with the Cisco product. While I thought the idea was cool, the firmware was really clunky. It was slow to scroll through the songs and the whole experience was way less slick than an iPod. That was my main beef with it…

By: Michael Wolf

Michael Wolf — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 16:01:44 +0000

You underline some of the issues facing this market. The complexity of the sell makes it one of those that can’t effectively be low-touch one, like a music dock (or, say, a game console as another example).

This means you need, in many instances, an in-store sales approach with educated sales personnel. That doesn’t mean its bad nor that it cannot ultimately be a highly-scaled, ten-plus million home market. $1000 product bundles can afford some higher-touch from a margin perspective.

There needs to be market education, online tools, etc. I think Cisco coming in helps, as it raises overall awareness.

By: kenwirt

kenwirt — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 15:56:46 +0000

It’s a complicated purchase. First you have to decide what rooms you want the music in, then you have to get the right components for each room (different components depending on what audio you already have in the room), and then you have to figure out how many controllers to get, how many iPod docks etc. Takes a while and adds up to a lot of money — kind of like buying stereo components in the old days (pre-amp, tuner, amplifier, etc) — which is why receivers (pre-amp, tuner and amplifier combined) always outsold components. Cisco is trying to make it easier by offering bundles — but it’s still not easy to figure out what to buy.