Sonos boss apologises for decision to prevent older speakers receiving updates
Sonos chief executive Patrick Spence has apologised for a decision to prevent its older speakers from receiving updates.
The boss of the tech firm said it would deliver updates to all its product “for as long as possible”.
However, Sonos did not retract its earlier decision despite the outrage from customers following the announcement earlier this week.
Customers who have spent thousands of pounds on Sonos products took to social media to express their frustration, claiming it was trying to force them to invest in new products.
In a statement, Spence said the firm “did not get [the announcement] right from the start.”
“Many of you have invested heavily in your Sonos systems, and we intend to honour that investment for as long as possible,” Spence said in a letter.
Sonos said the plan had been put in place because its older hardware was not compatible with the latest software.
However, it added that it will still offer bug fixes and security patches for those older products.
It causes a complication for those who have both older and newer speakers in the same system, as it will require them to set up two speaker groups to allow the correct updates to work.
If a speaker in a system cannot accpet the new software, the whole system will stop receiving updates.
Without updates, these devices will eventually stop working.
The change affects four of the Sonos models, which were on sale between 2006 and 2015, which includes the Play:5, Connect:Amp and Connect.
Those who have been affected have been offered 30 per cent off a new product if they recycle their old speakers.