Sonos One Could Change Everything You Know About Smart Speakers
On Wednesday, Sonos unveiled Sonos One. All-new and voice-controlled, the wireless speaker is a significant entry into the smart speaker market.
Launching globally on Oct. 24, the $199 Sonos One is capable of supporting multiple voice services and playing music, podcasts, audiobooks, and other content from more than 80 streaming services.
At launch, Sonos One owners will be able to ask Amazon Alexa to control the speaker in Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Full voice support for Amazon Music, iHeartRadio, Pandora, SiriusXM, and TuneIn will also be available at launch. Alexa voice control for Spotify on Sonos One will be coming soon after the launch.
Next year, a firmware update will introduce Google Assistant to the Sonos One. In doing so, the smart speaker will be the first to support multiple voice services.
Also coming in 2018: support for Apple’s AirPlay. When implemented, this will allow users to play any sound from an iOS device on a Sonos One. Owners will also be able to ask any Siri-enabled device to control music on Sonos speakers.
We live in a golden age of streaming entertainment. But so much of this great content is being pushed through smart speakers that aren’t designed with sound quality in mind. With our open approach to collaboration, agnostic approach to voice services, the strength of our many innovative partners, and a sound platform designed for the whole home, we’re helping people listen more and listen better.
- Sonos CEO Patrick SpenceAlso today, Oct. 4, Sonos announced:
- Current Sonos owners will also get voice with Amazon Alexa through a free software update to existing speakers
- Control Sonos from new music service apps including Pandora and Tidal in the coming months. Audible, iHeartRadio, and Kuke Music in 2018.
- The Sonos App gets a refresh
- In 2018, Sonos will open its developer program for new experiences on the Sonos Sound platform
- New retail stores to open in London and Berlin
Sonos One, available in black and white, replaces the Sonos Play:1 as the company’s entry-level speaker. It can be used as a standalone speaker, wirelessly paired with another Sonos One for stereo sound, or used with PLAYBASE or PLAYBAR to create home theater surround sound.
As someone who thoroughly enjoys Sonos products, I can’t wait to get my hands on a Sonos One (or two). The ability to use two different voice services on the same device is an excellent step in the maturing smart speaker market. Depending on how successful Sonos One becomes, we could be seeing similar capabilities on other home speakers.
You can pre-order a Sonos One via the Sonos website.