Vulnerable to bouncing the rubble even additional, we have to discuss the place issues stand going into September regarding the state of Sonos.
For a short little bit of context, Sonos in Might up to date its app and the underlying system software program that controls its household of wi-fi audio system in preparation for the subsequent technology of merchandise — together with the Sonos Ace headphones that arrived simply weeks later. That replace went poorly, and in any other case working (and not-inexpensive) Sonos methods had been left in numerous phases of disarray.
It was fairly obvious fairly rapidly that one thing had gone very unsuitable, although it’s essential to keep in mind that everybody’s Sonos setup goes to be totally different, from the {hardware} itself, to the music companies in use, to the community situations that tie all of it collectively. (That it ever labored in any respect in addition to it did nonetheless appears a bit of magical.) And we’ll proceed to notice that Sonos was comparatively fast to acknowledge the problems within the Sonos subreddit. However that’s not the identical factor as a public acknowledgement, which didn’t come till about two months later when CEO Patrick Spence issued a public apology simply forward of an additional rationalization through the firm’s earnings name in August.
All of the whereas, Sonos has been updating its app and its platform and fixing points each couple weeks. That’s a superb factor.
Sonos must cease speaking about fixing issues and simply get them fastened.
However as I spent the Sunday morning of my Labor Day Weekend sipping espresso and dealing on the New York Occasions Sunday Crossword, two issues occurred. First, I acquired an e-mail from Sonos warning that it was my final likelihood to avoid wasting 20% on {hardware} that, given the present state of the software program, will solely serve to frustrate me. After which I remembered that I’d ignored the “information” that Sonos had launched a public Trello board in order that we will all see what’s being labored on.
Whereas I applaud the transparency, it’s smoke and mirrors. Not the whole lot must be achieved out within the open. Sonos for weeks and months had been maintaining people abreast of the rebuilding highway map within the Sonos subreddit, and extra formally by itself web site. A public Trello board actually is superfluous, and maybe at finest a low-key commercial for Trello. (I’ve used Trello loads of instances. It’s nice.) It’s additionally now yet one more public-facing place that somebody at Sonos has to maintain synced with the inner documentation. (Sorry, intern!)
At this level I don’t actually care what Sonos has to say in regards to the fixes. I don’t care about highway maps and timelines and Trello boards. I don’t really count on to be delighted, as Spence mentioned prospects at some point will probably be once more.
I care about the fitting speaker group really activating after I choose it. I care about quantity controls not taking 10 or 15 seconds to work, if all of it. I care about search not sucking.
I care about what Sonos does. I care about it fixing issues. The rest is a distraction.
