Apple TV rival cancelled by major competitor – but it might return in some form later

Sonos has cancelled plans to take on the Apple TV and Google TV Streamer.

Sonos' own TV streaming device, codenamed Pinewood, was intended to be one of the brand's big product launches of 2025. However, it's been confirmed that the company has ditched the entire project "for now".

The Verge reports that Sonos staff were informed of the cancellation this week. The streamer was in an advanced stage of development and had spent "months" in beta testing, but interim CEO Tom Conrad is changing the firm's direction in an attempt to recover from what was a pretty awful 2024.

Shuttering the Pinewood project leaves a huge hole in Sonos's hardware plans for 2025, as the firm continues to work on its software. But, that focus may be more valuable – the Sonos brand was severely damaged by software issues last year, so much so that they overshadowed the launch of Sonos's first headphones.

What we know about Sonos's cancelled streamer

The better news is that Sonos' streamer may not be dead forever. The company says it's still working with its software partner, The Trade Desk, but we won't see the device in the foreseeable future.

The streamer was expected to launch in early 2025, and leaks said it had a "beautiful" interface, excellent integration of all the key streaming services, voice control and more.

It was believed to work as an HDMI switch with passthrough capability, and had both Wi-Fi 7 and Gigabit Ethernet for lag-free streaming to Sonos speakers and soundbars.

Technically then, the streamer sounds great. But, the price was rumoured to be as much as $400, which is about £319 before tax / AU$636. That's a lot of money when the biggest rival, the Apple TV 4K, is £139.

According to The Verge, some Sonos employees even felt that the streamer could likely see a repeat of the Sonos Ace headphones' launch, with the brand trying to enter a new product category against heavyweight rivals and failing to meet sales expectations.