And I was able to search across all over the available services to find music. I saw his iTunes library and Spotify account and my Songza. I was able to instantly add songs to the current playlist. I installed the app on my iPad and joined his wireless network. I used the Sonos system for the first time a few months ago when visiting a friends home. Their name is synonymous with wireless speakers and they continue to receive fawning press and accolades. There are 44 different supported services according to the Sonos website. Sonos has continued to develop new features: playing music in different rooms, aggregating music libraries from home computers and devices on the network into a single network library, collaborative playlists and DJ modes, and integrating new streaming services as they launch (Spotify, Songza, Google Play, Pandora, Beats Music, etc). Sonos rolled out a wireless update to its speaker system and suddenly their customers’ speakers were compatible with iPhones. When the App Store was launched, Sonos was one of the early publishers of a third-party app. Originally Sonos speakers were controlled with a dedicated tablet controller. Meanwhile with every software update they’re creating enormous value for their customers and for their partners whose music and content is accessed via the platform. Sonos creates loyal customers who continue to purchase more speakers to augment their theater system or add speakers to more rooms. The initial value to the customer comes from the hardware and is augmented overtime with software updates and integration with new technologies. Sonos wants their devices to serve as a platform that can be upgraded with software when new tech is developed. Sonos is trying something different. They make high quality (and admittedly expensive) hardware that is built to last. They believe that customers typically buy speaker systems and expect to own them for 5-10 years and that customers will spend more for Sonos speakers if they trust that they won’t be rendered irrelevant in six months. Year in and year out the value created with these incremental upgrades is dubious, though the value captured by Apple is without question. Apple’s introduction of the iPhone Upgrade Program last week is the perfect example of this. Given the rapid speed of technological advancement, many hardware manufacturers have implicitly embraced the concept of “planned obsolescence.” Every year, companies pump out the newest and shiniest smart phone and invest millions of marketing dollars to convince customers that they cannot survive without the newest version. Sonos founders had a vision early on that capable hardware is an important baseline in order to attract users, but that additional value would likely be unlocked with new software and digital innovation. Or a smart phone like the iPhone that could control these speakers. The speakers in the streaming set-up above could easily pre-date Spotify. What’s impressive is that Sonos was founded in 2002 and launched their first speaker in 2004. You can stream Spotify to your speakers in the kitchen while you’re making dinner, Google Music in your bedroom while you study, and blast 5.1 surround sound while you watch Game of Thrones – and all of this simultaneous streaming can be managed from an iPhone or Android device. They make elegant wireless speaker, stereo, and home theater systems.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |