Sonos is planning to launch a new device featuring AI functionality. At least, that’s what company CEO Tom Conrad has promised.
According to an article published by What Hi-Fi?, Sonos will introduce an entirely new device in September. CEO Tom Conrad didn’t reveal exactly what it will be during the presentation of the company’s third-quarter results. He did, however, say that he sees considerable potential in AI, particularly in ‘conversational computing and predictive intelligence’—in other words, the kind of technology we’re already familiar with from ChatGPT and similar services.
According to Conrad, hardware that allows you to communicate and ask questions from any room in your home is exactly the kind of thing Sonos should be particularly good at, partly thanks to what he describes as the company’s unique position in the market.
As always, however, the question remains whether consumers are actually all that enthusiastic about such a product. We—and What Hi-Fi? as well—can’t help but remember the disastrous software update problems Sonos experienced in 2024, which did little to improve the company’s reputation.
So, could this still-mysterious new product turn into a make-or-break device for Sonos? Or would the company comfortably survive even if its venture into AI turns out to be something of a flop? Either way, September promises to be an interesting month for Sonos.
Meanwhile, Sonos also struck an interesting deal with car manufacturer Škoda towards the end of June this year. The agreement covers the complete sound system for the new Peaq, an electric vehicle.
The Sonos audio system will be available as an optional extra as part of the Relax package and has been specifically designed and tuned for the Peaq.