Even before its most delinquent soundbar hits store racks, Sonos is moving nearer to releasing its following product — and it’s an eagerly expected one.
The filing leaves no doubt about what effect we’re looking at: the Sub Mini was tested in a setup that included a “master device” none other than the Sonos Beam.
While some minor hardware components might differ in the final product, it accurately depicts what the Sub Mini will look like. And a diagram depicting the location of the FCC compliance label confirms the cylindrical design that Sonos has heretofore referenced.
The big question in the senses of many Sonos fans is how much the company’s entry-level subwoofer will cost. With the regular Sub priced in the stratosphere at $749, Sonos has a lot of room to play with. $599? $499? You’d wager somewhere in that region, but hopefully, it won’t be much longer before we learn the whole story and the distinctions between the Sub Mini and its larger, squarer sibling.
There might not be much of a delay left. The Sonos Roam was stained at the FCC about a month before the company announced it. The Sonos Ray took a bit longer; its FCC filing was uncovered in March before the new soundbar was leaked and formally unveiled in May.
Just yesterday, Sonos rolled out its voice control service to its lineup of smart speakers, including the Sonos Roam, Move, Arc, Beam, and One.
Sonos, Inc. is an American inventor and manufacturer of audio products best comprehended for its multi-room audio products. The company was established in 2002 by John MacFarlane, Tom Cullen, Craig Shelburne, and Trung Mai. Patrick Spence was designated CEO in January 2017
Sonos has associated with over 100 music services companies, including Pandora, iHeartRadio, Spotify, MOG, QQ Music, and Amazon Music. Sonos products work with the three principal voice assistants: Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa, and Apple Siri, although the latter is presently only supported by Apple’s Home app. In addition, in 2019, Sonos gained Snips SAS, a privacy-focused AI voice platform for connected devices, to obtain a music-specific assistant for its devices.
Sonos was established in August 2002 by John MacFarlane, Tom Cullen, Craig Shelburne, and Trung Mai, with MacFarlane desiring to create a wireless service.
During 2004, MacFarlane obtained prototypes of the first Sonos products for several industry affairs, including the June 2004 conference in Carlsbad, California, and the December 2004 Digital Music Summit.
In May 2005, Sonos declared that its initial product line would run on sale in the United Kingdom in the following month. In addition, the company has continued to broaden its international sales, for example, to Japan in 2018.
In May 2012, Sonos extended the Sonos Studio in Los Angeles, a studio and art gallery in which art was exhibited with Sonos’ products for free. It featured events with artists like Beck, The Lonely Island, and Solange and released a video about its development. The Los Angeles zone was closed in 2018; a London location stays open.
In December 2013, the company was assessed to have raised $118M in venture funding, including a $25M round; its investors included Redpoint Ventures, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, and Elevation Partners.
In January 2015, it was rebranded by Bruce Mau Design, with a new visual identity and improved logotype created over four years, from 2011 to 2014. In addition, there have been other brand refreshes, including one in 2019.
In February 2016, Sonos also released a Music Makes it Home Study.
In March 2016, CEO John MacFarlane declared the company’s shift to streaming music services and voice management instead of local playback and laid off some employees.
In July 2016, the company unfurled its first Sonos Store in SoHo.
In September 2016, the company reported that its products would become available at the Apple Store.
In January 2017, MacFarlane disclosed via the company’s blog that he would be stepping down from his role as CEO and would be succeeded in this position by former COO Patrick Spence.
In December 2017, IKEA and Sonos revealed a collaboration to build Sonos’ technology into furniture sold by IKEA.
In August 2018, Sonos went public, selling on the NASDAQ under the symbol SONO.
In November 2019, Sonos acquired Snips SAS, a privacy-focused AI voice platform for connected devices, intending to bring a music-specific subordinate to its devices.
In April 2020, Sonos announced a new “sonic logo” composed by Philip Glass, featuring a chorus of 21 musicians. The logo will be attended in the listening understanding of Sonos Radio, an Internet radio streaming service unveiled by the company the same month.
In June 2020, Sonos reported plans to lay off 12% of its workforce, close its New York store and six offices, and slash its top executives’ pay by 20% for three to six months in reaction to the economic disruptions induced by the COVID pandemic.
In January 2022, Sonos succeeded the lawsuit against Google, and Google had to remove certain features such as the group volume controller from its devices.