Sonos has launched new products and a major new software update as it tries to move on from a crisis that seemed to threaten its very existence.
The home audio company has announced two new flagship products, the Beam Ultra soundbar and Ace Ultra headphones, as well as a new software update that it calls Sonos 27. The latter is “the latest version of the audio operating system the company has spent more than two decades building”, Sonos said.
That audio operating system has been central to the company’s success, but also brought about a series of problems that led to the sacking of staff, the departure of its chief executive, and a dramatic fall in its share price from which it is still trying to recover.
In 2024, Sonos announced a new version of the app used to control its smart speakers that it said was “completely redesigned and rearchitected the Sonos app to make it easier, better and faster”. But as users downloaded the update, they found that it had in some cases left them unable to use their speakers at all.
It led to a torrent of outrage against the company from customers. Over the months that followed, it launched a range of updates to the app and revealed a turnaround plan, but that was not enough to stop the departure of its then-chief executive, the sacking of staff, and a plunge in both customer sentiment and its share price.
Now, new chief executive Tom Conrad has said that the new update represents a major step for the company’s software as well as the introduction of new products.
"Twenty years ago, we made a bet that the rest of the industry is only now arriving at - a home deserves an audio operating system made just for it," said Mr Conrad said. "We built our system around a shared love of music and the belief that nothing sets the mood like great sound.
“Sonos 27 takes that further, bringing acoustic engineering, adaptable software, intelligence and design together in a way only Sonos can. This is just the start of what our audio operating system can do."
The new update includes support for a range of different AI assistants, a better app and new ways to move audio around the home. It also comes with premium versions of both its smaller soundbar and its headphones.
The new AI integration means that users can either speak to Sonos’s own voice control system or connect any outside AI agent into their home speakers. That means that users can ask ChatGPT to play music from their phone or computer, for instance.
Users will also eventually be able to make their own agents through the system, with their own model, persona and voice. That will let people make their own AI tools for whatever purpose they want their home audio system to be used for, Sonos said.
The update also brings a new tool called “Sonos Fabric” that lets speakers sense where they are in space and move sound between each other. And it will bring a changed design as well as “new features and improvements” to the app.
Read MoreScientists find new details on how exactly the Moon was formed
GoPro is turning into a defence and space company
The new Apple boss has given us a big hint about his big priority
