Multi-roomspeaker company Sonos’current product strategy is two new releases per year. In 2018, this strategy saw the launch of theSonos Beamand theSonos Amp.
But what about 2019? Well, we know theSonos Ikea collaborationwill appear at some point, and we knowGoogle Assistant is coming soon too, but let us put forward the extremely compelling case fora Play:3update, which logically should be called Sonos Three.
Reason One: Current model is dated, very dated
The recently discontinued Play:3 is the oldest speaker inthe Sonos portfoliobut we don’t need to tell you that. Take one look at the Sonos line up and you’d know it - the design is nowhere near as refined as the newer products.
Granted, not everyone cares about consistency and design; some Sonos fans won’t mind ifthe Sonos Onein their kitchen appears to be made by a different company to the Play:3 in their living room, as long as they deliver the sound quality and seamless multi-room audio experience Sonos was built on. And that’s fine, because they will - for now at least.
But what about those who do care about design? What about those Sonos fans who want two Play:3 rear channels that matchthe PlaybaseorBeam soundbar? What about those who want something a little more powerful than the Sonos One but don’t have the budget for a Play:5?Sonos' CEO told usBeam does a lot of what Play:3 does but with smarts and TV, but what if you don’t want a soundbar, compact as it might be?
The thing is, even if every one of the 21 million Sonos speakers ever sold were bought solely for their audio quality or multi-room capabilities, Sonos itself cares about design. The company takes pride in delivering premium, intricately-designed, devices. So much so it took several years to design and deliver the Playbase. Every single detail was meticulously planned.
The chances are, therefore, that there is also a plan for the Play:3 - and there probably has been for years. It’s a fundamental speaker in the Sonos range, despite no longer being available, and it’s the only one left with the old design so surely, a replacement is imminent?
Reason Two: Current model lacks “horsepower”
Now don’t get us wrong, despite its dated design, the Play:3 still sounds excellent. It also still receives software updates - such asTruePlay tuning- meaning it continues to improve and develop.
Credit where credit is due, for a device that is 18 months off being a decade old, it’s only now started showing its age, which is pretty phenomenal for a piece of technology. Consider the difference betweenthe iPhone 4SandiPhone XSor theSamsung Galaxy S2andGalaxy S9and you’re looking at the same time frame from the launch of the Play:3 to now.
Now has hit the Play:3 like a heart attack though. New technology features likeApple AirPlay 2aren’t supported because the Play:3 “simply doesn’t have the horsepower” (Sonos' words not ours). It quite literally couldn’t cope.
Then you have voice assistant-enabled speakers selling like hotcakes - Amazon soldtens of millions of Echos in 2018- and all of a sudden, the Play:3 can’t keep up with the latest demands.
It’s the weak link in the strong Sonos line up. ThePlay:1doesn’t have the horsepower for the newer features either, but those who want the latest functions have the choice of the Sonos One. Those who want more power than the Sonos One but don’t need the power ofthe Play:5, are left with no choice in the Sonos line up but the Beam - which is primarily designed for TV - or attempting to track down a Play:3, which now looks dated and lacks the brains.
Surely a replacement for the Play:3 is an easy win for Sonos? A Play:3 with smart capabilities, AirPlay 2 and a design to match the rest of the Sonos line up takes it from the weakest link to the strongest.
Reason Three: The fans want it
Sonos has the luxury of an incredibly loyal fan base. This could be thanks to the constant software updates and new features pushed to even the oldest speakers in its portfolio - or it could be the build and sound quality of the Sonos devices that keeps hold of fans.
According to Sonos, over 90 per cent of its 21 million products registered since 2005 are still active - and that is huge. It says that those who invest in Sonos are masters in resisting temptation: a case of high fidelity, not infidelity.
Despite numerous audio companies now offering great multi-room audio options, along with smart devices likethe Google HomesandAmazon Echosof this world providing cheaper and smarter alternatives, Sonos still lives and breathes. Why? Because its fans don’t stray.
Head toSonos Communityand an upgrade to the Play:3 is a hot topic. If it’s being talked about, fans want it and Sonos takes pride in listening to what its customers want so, well, one plus two makes … three.
Reason Four: The market is there
Even if Sonos was to ignore fans, ignoring the market is much harder. Ignoring competition is the kind of mistake that makes you complacent.Some of the Sonos communityspeculated that Sonos discontinued the Play:3 off the back of poor sales, yet we see £300 speakers being launched by numerous companies.
Take Sonos' direct competitors for starters.Denonhas a Play:3 equivalent inits Heos range, while in 2018 Harmon Kardonannounced the Citation rangethat pretty much offers the same speaker portfolio as Sonos but with Google Assistant on board and a couple of extras, including tower speakers and specific rear channel speakers.
Move away from Sonos' direct competitors and you’ll still come across £300-400 speakers, many of which don’t have the audio capabilities of the Play:3 but they do have the latest tech. The£399 Google Home Maxis just one example.
Then you havethe £319 Apple HomePodand while this delivers on sound and design, it doesn’t deliver on smarts just yet. The point is, it still exists so there must be a market for the size, price and capabilities around the Play:3.
Sonos Three: What we want to see
So, if the four reasons above are good enough for a new Sonos Play:3, or Sonos Three, here’s what we want to see:
That last one might be a stretch but abuilt-in Zigbee controllerwould mean the Sonos Three wouldn’t just be a smart speaker. It would be superior to many smart speakers currently available in controlling smart home devices. TheAmazon Echo Plusoffers Zigbee built-in, so why can’t Sonos?
We’re not going to ignore the fact that rumours are pointing tosatellite speakers to improve the a surround sound setupor perhaps asmaller format Sub, but here’s hoping for a Play Three, eh?
