New Sonos speaker handles Alexa, and Siri is on the way
Sonos, maker of high-fidelity wireless speakers, wants to make it easier for you to bring super-smart voice control to your home sound system.
The Santa Barbara, Calif.based company Wednesday announced an immediately available update to its Sonos app that allows Amazon devices such as the Echo and Dot speakers to control their current Sonos speakers and systems with Amazon’s digital assistant Alexa.
And coming later this month: A new speaker, the
$199.99 Sonos One (out Oct.
24, preorders started Wednesday on sonos.com) will have built-in voice capability to use Alexa. In 2018, it will work with the Google Assistant and Apple’s Siri using AirPlay 2, as well.
“We don’t want to choose for you,” Giles Martin, Sonos sound experience leader, said during a product unveiling in New York. “We absolutely envision a world where different people in the home use different voice services. ... We are committed to taking this agnostic approach. So, Sonos One is really the only smart speaker you will ever need.”
The new multifaceted speaker quickly inserts Sonos as a player in the escalating battle for artificial intelligence-enhanced voice control in the home. Last week, Amazon unveiled a new $99 Echo speaker — and a $149.99 Echo Plus with home automation controls — shooting a thrifty shot across the bow of Apple and its $349 HomePod Siridriven speaker, due in December.
And Google on Wednesday advanced its smarthome game with its own expanded lineup of Google Assistant voice-controlled speakers including a new $49 Google Home Mini speaker, out Oct. 19, and a
$399 Home Max speaker, due in December.
Three years ago, Sonos controlled the wireless speaker market but now owns less than half because consumers are intrigued by AI-powered voice-controlled speakers, says Paul Erickson, senior analyst for IHS Markit, a tech research firm in Austin.
“This is perfect for them,” he said, and allows Sonos to secure a spot in the growing global market for smaller smarthome devices that, excluding major appliances, is expected to grow from $3.3 billion by the end of 2017 to
$9.4 billion in 2021, IHS Markit estimates.
Customers need not commit to a specific AI entity, and Sonos doesn’t have to choose a favorite either, Erickson says. “They can simply ride the efforts of those ecosystem vendors,” he said.
Those who already own Sonos speakers can test drive Alexa now by updating their Sonos app and adding the Sonos skill in the Alexa app.