Quick Summary
Sonos's CEO has said that fixing the firm's troubled app is its top priority.
That means two key product launches have been shelved until after it's fixed.
The months-long saga of the Sonos app continues, with the firm releasing two-weekly updates to fix issues and restore features. And according to Sonos, it's meant the delay of two key products that were originally scheduled for launch later this year.
Sonos CEO Patrick Spence was speaking to investors this week in the firm's scheduled earnings call, as reported by The Verge. During the call he admitted that the launch of the rather excellent Sonos Ace headphones had been "overshadowed" by the app issue.
"Far too many of our customers are having an experience that is worse than what they previously had," he said.
What products has Sonos shelved?
We can't say for sure, because Sonos hasn't announced them. But according to the rumour mill the firm was planning to launch a new high-end Sonos soundbar, codenamed Lasso, which would replace the ageing Sonos Arc.
Sonos was also apparently working on a surprising new product: a set-top TV streaming device.
Sonos has said that it expected much of its 2024 revenues to come from brand new product lines, and a streamer would definitely fit that category. It wouldn't be the firm's first adventures in streaming – its Port streamer is a Wi-Fi network music streamer – but this unreleased box would be a TV streamer and, reportedly, considerably more affordable than the £399 Port.
For now, though, Sonos's priority is the app. "I will not rest until we’re in a position where we’ve addressed the issues and have customers raving about Sonos again," Spence said, adding that "our focus needs to be addressing the app ahead of everything else".
That means delaying the "two major product releases" planned for late 2024 and taking responsibility for the app fiasco. As Spence told investors, "With the app, my push for speed backfired."
