6 ms·

One thing non-Sonos owners might not realize about their business model is that it is the opposite of subscriptions. Because the software is so cool (creating a

One thing non-Sonos owners might not realize about their business model is that it is the opposite of subscriptions. Because the software is so cool (creating an infinite jukebox out of all your music sources and subscriptions, both local and online), you are inclined to buy their boxes. Sonos doesn't charge anyone for using the software and there are no ads introduced into your listening experience by Sonos. Their idea (and I think it's a great one) is to make the listening experience so great and so unique on their hardware that you are simply compelled to buy more of it and to recommend it. I started out with a Play:5 and upgraded a year later to a second one to make a stereo pair. I've also used these units in business with 5-7 Play:3s and multiple employees controlling them from their phones. There is simply nothing like this in the Bluetooth or other "smart speaker" worlds. My house could support two Play:5s in four rooms + outside. Sonos setups offer "Disney-like" sound control where you decide what music plays in what room(s) and at what volume. Were they to convince me to part with that much money, they could sell me $5K worth of speakers just based on the software experience (and the great sound quality, which no one disputes).

tomc1985 6y ago
How about having their business model as selling solid wireless speakers without all this extra value-added smart crap Their current business model is not worth defending. There is no reason a smart speaker needs location access, network access, an account, or even a privacy policy. I wish someone would bring these folks to heel
- t-writescode 6y ago
  Well, it likes network access to be able to stream music from Spotify or whatever, but I get your point.
- azinman2 6y ago
  Sure it does — because it’s thru your network that the device works, thru your account they see each other and registers/links with various services, and location access (which I don’t believe I’ve ever had requested) could easily be for available stations etc. I’m not seeing the big deal here. When the title said it’s spying on me, I thought it was listening with its microphone. This is making a big deal about nothing AFAIK.
  - inopinatus 6y ago
    The article is garbage. It’s by someone who either doesn’t understand how networked devices function, or does but wants to write a slanderous hatchet job. Of course it needs your bloody Spotify username, it streams Spotify for you, and the control protocol runs through a cloud service so that you can control it universally. Complaining about that seems like idiocy, frankly.
    - tomc1985 6y ago
      I think they understand better than you think. Requiring a cloud connection just to set up a piece of hardware reprehensible.
      - inopinatus 6y ago
        It isn’t a piece of hardware. This is the false conceit underlying not just the article, but also the obscene pile-on of uninformed ranting in these comments.
  - tomc1985 6y ago
    > soon to realize that I need to register with my email just to set up the device on my network If they want to do stupid value-added convenience crap then fine. But does the speaker work without the account? (No.) There are many possible paths they could take for allowing the device to connect to various services and other devices, and Sonos happened to choose the cheap way. These smart devices should not require a cloud connection just to operate when there are plenty of ways of interfacing with them that are completely local. My Windows computer does not require a Microsoft account to be able to use Spotify or Netflix or whatever. These things can all run independently and be setup through a local connection or a digital display. Why should a speaker?
  - thelastknowngod 6y ago
    > Sure it does — because it’s thru your network I can buy an Arylic board for 1/10th the price of a Sonos speaker. It functions in exactly the same way and doesn't collect my data. The information Sonos collects is not necessary.

tomc1985 6y ago

How about having their business model as selling solid wireless speakers without all this extra value-added smart crap Their current business model is not worth defending. There is no reason a smart speaker needs location access, network access, an account, or even a privacy policy. I wish someone would bring these folks to heel

t-writescode 6y ago
Well, it likes network access to be able to stream music from Spotify or whatever, but I get your point.
azinman2 6y ago
Sure it does — because it’s thru your network that the device works, thru your account they see each other and registers/links with various services, and location access (which I don’t believe I’ve ever had requested) could easily be for available stations etc. I’m not seeing the big deal here. When the title said it’s spying on me, I thought it was listening with its microphone. This is making a big deal about nothing AFAIK.
- inopinatus 6y ago
  The article is garbage. It’s by someone who either doesn’t understand how networked devices function, or does but wants to write a slanderous hatchet job. Of course it needs your bloody Spotify username, it streams Spotify for you, and the control protocol runs through a cloud service so that you can control it universally. Complaining about that seems like idiocy, frankly.
  - tomc1985 6y ago
    I think they understand better than you think. Requiring a cloud connection just to set up a piece of hardware reprehensible.
    - inopinatus 6y ago
      It isn’t a piece of hardware. This is the false conceit underlying not just the article, but also the obscene pile-on of uninformed ranting in these comments.
- tomc1985 6y ago
  > soon to realize that I need to register with my email just to set up the device on my network If they want to do stupid value-added convenience crap then fine. But does the speaker work without the account? (No.) There are many possible paths they could take for allowing the device to connect to various services and other devices, and Sonos happened to choose the cheap way. These smart devices should not require a cloud connection just to operate when there are plenty of ways of interfacing with them that are completely local. My Windows computer does not require a Microsoft account to be able to use Spotify or Netflix or whatever. These things can all run independently and be setup through a local connection or a digital display. Why should a speaker?
- thelastknowngod 6y ago
  > Sure it does — because it’s thru your network I can buy an Arylic board for 1/10th the price of a Sonos speaker. It functions in exactly the same way and doesn't collect my data. The information Sonos collects is not necessary.