Will New Streaming Box End Sonos’ Run of Bad Luck?
By Movieguide® Contributor
Move over, Roku and Apple — Sonos is getting ready to enter the streaming box competition with a new product unlike any others on the market.
“In the coming months, Sonos will release a streaming player that sources tell me could cost between $200 and $400 — a truly staggering price for its category,” The Verge reported, adding that the product is “deep into development.”
The outlet continued, “The Android-based streamer, codenamed Pinewood, is designed to be more than just another competitor to the Apple TV 4K, Nvidia Shield, or Roku Ultra…Sonos plans to combine content from numerous platforms including Netflix, Max, and Disney Plus under a single, unified software experience.”
Pinewood will also feature multiple HDMI ports that will allow users to plug external devices like gaming consoles and Blu-ray players into it, as well as gigabit ethernet and Wi-Fi 7. Additionally, users will be able to “configure a genuine surround sound system using the company’s other speakers.”
This Pinewood project could be a game changer for Sonos. The company has been weathering a storm of bad press following a 2024 software overhaul for its mobile app that was released well before it was ready. This led to bugs and glitches, and Sonos has been playing catch-up trying to get the app back in working order. Things were so bad following the app’s launch that CEO Patrick Spence resigned.
“We’re going to initiate a search for the next CEO, and we’ll work on finding a leader who’s going to continue to build on our legacy and work with the team to move the company forward,” Sonos spokesperson Erin Pategas told The Verge, adding that the company is “turning a page on the chapter that we’re in and forging a path ahead that gets us in the direction that we want to be going for ourselves and our customers.”
These bad times have also led to a round of lay-offs for approximately 200 Sonos employees.
In a letter announcing the lay-offs, interim CEO Tom Conrad wrote, “One thing I’ve observed first hand is that we’ve become mired in too many layers that have made collaboration and decision-making harder than it needs to be. So across the company today we are reorganizing into flatter, smaller, and more focused teams.”
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