Report: Sonos wanted to build MagSafe speakers
Sonos, the audio company in crisis, was apparently planning a special accessory: a portable speaker for iPhones.
Sonos logo: Ideas for MagSafe accessories developed.
(Image: dpa, Christoph Dernbach/dpa)
Although Apple's iPhones have a fairly voluminous speaker despite their size, nobody expects hi-fi sound from them. For this reason, the speaker and soundbar specialist Sonos is said to have planned to launch its own compact speaker especially for Apple phones. The very clever idea: the device was to be attached to the iPhone using Apple's MagSafe magnetic technology. However, Sonos then decided against launching the MagSafe speaker on the market, reports IT blog The Verge.
Size of a MagSafe battery
Sonos is said to have been working on the project as recently as last year. Target group: younger members of "Generation Z" in particular. A prototype of a miniature speaker has been created that can be magnetically attached to current iPhones (from generation 12). The idea is not entirely new; such systems were already available years ago from competitor JBL for Motorola cell phones. The sound was automatically transmitted to the speaker attached to the device. This would also have been technically possible with MagSafe, which transmits a component ID to the iPhone. The transmission would then have taken place via Bluetooth.
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With the BoomCan MS, the smaller provider Scosche already offers a fairly voluminous, round product for iPhones that comes close to the Sonos idea. However, stereo sound is only available with two of the speakers, which cost just under 30 US dollars each. However, Sonos had planned a "more rectangular design" that could be connected to the iPhone for longer. The look of the prototypes is said to have corresponded to Apple's well-known MagSafe battery pack.
Interest lost, then app debacle
Sonos wanted to use a new type of transducer for the technical setup that would enable good sound in a small space – The technology comes from the provider Mayht, which Sonos acquired in 2022. However, the company then decided against building the device due to technical limitations and a target group that was too small.
The manufacturer also had other problems to contend with shortly after the launch of this project: a new Sonos app was not well received by users due to a lack of functions and other problems, which ultimately led to the dismissal of the boss and 200 employees. The Mayht technology is now in the Sonos Arc Ultra soundbar.
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