Sonos has almost exclusively made high-end speakers and soundbars for consumers. However, a new report claims that the company is looking to finally expand into other product lines, including one that sounds like a left turn for Sonos.
The report from Bloomberg on Yahoo Finance, via unnamed sources, states the first new product that Sonos will launch will be some over-the-ear headphones. The company has been working on such a product since 2019, but this week’s new report says that Sonos is almost ready to reveal it to the world, with a launch scheduled for March 2024.
The story states:
They’ll come in black and white color options, synchronize with Sonos equipment and offer voice control for navigating between songs. The company is considering charging between $400 and $500 for the product.
Sonos is also reportedly looking into developing some high-end earbuds to compete with Apple’s AirPods.
Sonos is also working on a product that is very much far removed from its audio devices. Bloomberg says the company is developing a streaming video TV set-top box, under the code name “Pinewood”, that could launch as soon as late 2024, or early 2025.
The set-top box is being designed as a hub for other Sonos speaker products in the home. It will reportedly use its own operating system, but it will still be based on Google’s Android OS.
Bloomberg added:
Sonos has held discussions with cable companies about offering live television and plans to partner with existing popular video streaming services, including Netflix Inc., to build apps for the new platform. The device will offer Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision, popular audio and video standards, and have the ability to create immersive surround sound using Sonos home speakers.
The report says that Sonos is also thinking of launching its own video streaming service for the device, although details were not revealed.
If this streaming box launches, it will enter an already crowded market for such devices. That includes Amazon’s Fire TV streaming sticks, Roku’s various streaming products, and of course the Apple TV box. That’s not even covering the many smart TVs that have their own operating systems, like the ones made by Samsung, LG, and Vizio.