If you're a Sonos user with a kitchen full of GE smart appliances, then you've got some new integration heading your way. GE Appliances announced today that it's launching compatibility with Sonos speakers for many of its smart home products. This team-up will start somewhat small and expand from here, with GE boasting that it's the first appliance company to join forces with Sonos.
For years now, rumors have been claiming that Apple is working on its own pair of over-the-ear headphones, and it feels like we might finally be closing in on their reveal. No doubt that phrase has been uttered plenty of times over the past couple of years, but today, some intriguing evidence for the impending arrival of these headphones surfaced. As it turns out, Apple has stopped selling audio accessories from a number of third-party companies.
There's no denying that the Nest Audio fills a sweet-spot in Google's smart speaker range. Long-anticipated replacement to the original Google Home, the new speaker delivers markedly better sound quality than the Nest Mini, but a much more affordable price point - not to mention smaller footprint - than the Google Home Max. No product lives in isolation, though, and the most common question I've been getting is "what about Sonos?"
Sonos filed a lawsuit against Google this week to further claims of patent infringement with smart speaker products. Sonos claims that a team-up between the companies with the launch of Google Play Music resulted in Google effectively copying Sonos technology for use in smart speakers they'd release years later. This claim comes just before Google's next major event in which the company is expected to reveal one more smart speaker and/or smart audio product that Sonos expects will continue what they consider the company's "disregard for IP."
The upcoming Sonos headphones have broken cover, with a newly-granted patent for the wireless headphones detailing their potential design and functionality. Rumored since early in 2019, the headphones are designed to integrate with Sonos' wireless speaker system, as well as potentially include voice control.
Sonos is closing its New York retail store and will shed around 12-percent of its staff, the company has confirmed today, as it aims to offset the impact of COVID-19 on its multi-room speaker business. The news comes after Sonos warned investors back in March that it was hunting ways to save cash, including trimming marketing and better managing inventory.
Sonos has launched a new finish for its portable speaker, with the Sonos Move Lunar White switching things up later this month. Joining the existing Shadow Black Move that launched last year, the new Move also benefits from a new software update from Sonos, which the company says will add an extra hour of playback time when it's being used wirelessly.
Google Assistant is available on a wide variety of smart devices, not just those with Google's name on them. Unfortunately, the reality is that Google's own devices naturally get some preferential treatment in getting features before others. Sometimes those features never come but sometimes they do just take their time rolling out to others. Fortunately for owners of third-party smart speakers, that day is close and soon they'll be able to enjoy some of the latest features Google Assistant has to offer.
![Google just sued Sonos as speaker tech war escalates [Updated]](https://www.slashgear.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/google-home-1-1280x720.jpg)
Google has counter-sued Sonos, a slow reaction to the multi-room speaker company accusing its former partner of stealing its tech. Back in January, Sonos cited five patents it argued Google had infringed, after being given privileged access to technologies in the name of better integrating Google Play Music, the Google Assistant, and more.
Sonos has released its new controller app and Sonos S2, the new OS for its multi-room speaker system, complete with new features and a decision for the very earliest-adopters. Sonos S2 introduces support for higher-resolution audio - something the company takes advantage of for its new Dolby Atmos compatible Arc soundbar - though it also sees Sonos leave some old hardware behind.
The problem with making things look easy, Sonos has discovered, is that peoples' wish-lists only ever get longer. The new Sonos Arc is a textbook example: on the face of it a simple response to the question "Where's the Sonos Dolby Atmos soundbar?" it nonetheless required a whole new platform and, as a side-effect, leaving some of the company's earliest adopters peeved. When you're responsible for that sort of disruption, you have to live up to the hype.
Sonos has revealed the big day it'll be releasing its next-gen S2 software, and with the new Arc soundbar on the scene we're finally seeing why this big change is so important. It's been a tough few months for Sonos, facing criticism from some of its most loyal users over the transition from the S1 software to this new S2 release on June 8.