Sonos may venture into cars and headphones, iOS app no drag
updated 12:00 pm EST, Mon January 17, 2011
Sonos teases expansion plans and talks iOS
Sonos marketing VP Tom Cullen in a talk published Monday hinted that the company will move beyond its multi-room audio systems. While still known for home audio like the ZonePlayer S5, Sonos will 'one day' get into cars and headphones. He wouldn't give GigaOM an estimate of how soon this would occur.
He also disabused notions that the iOS app for the iPhone and later for the iPad were hurtful to the company's sales. Although it cannibalized sales of the in-house Sonos Controller remote, Sonos' overall sales surged as it sold more of the audio hardware.
The move was a reflection of the company's software-heavy focus, Cullen explained. It has usually emphasized consistent hardware and relied on firmware upgrades to extend the capability over time. Sonos has likewise refused to make paid deals and at one point turned down a cash incentive from Spotify. Cash deals give you an incentive to favor one service over another, Cullen said.
The company has periodically had interest from companies thinking of takeovers but hasn't had as much incentive since the S5 launch, which helped more than double its sales in 2010 versus 2009.
