Sonos believes hardware should last 10 years

Posted on 9 Jan 2008 at 02:36

While most companies are eager to push customers into upgrading, Sonos, the multi-room audio vendor, doesn't believe that it should be like this.

"How long did your last stereo last? 10 years?" said John MacFarlane, CEO of Sonos. "I hope that our products do the same and last 10 to 15 years. Once you've bought the hardware it should just be in and forgotten about."

MacFarlane also believes that the company's product is "done, and you won't see any major changes to the product". The company's aim now is to increase the availability of online content. It recently added Napster to its UK customers, so anyone with an account can choose tracks from millions and stream them live over their broadband connection.

While services like these give people access to huge libraries of music, MacFarlane still sees a need for people to be able to buy music, and sees an end of DRM-protected tracks in the UK, as falling CD sales push the record labels to respond.

"All four major labels in the US now offer DRM-free tracks," he said. "The UK is seeing double-digit declines in CD sales, so you won't be far behind us."

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Author: David Ludlow in Las Vegas

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