Not only did Sonos lose many customers after the release of the redesigned app, but the company was also forced to delay the launch of two major products. During the earnings call last week, CEO Patrick Spence explained that the company needed to take care of the app before anything else and therefore two new product launches planned for the fourth quarter had to be postponed until the app experience reached the level of quality customers expected. One of the two delayed products is likely to be the successor to the Sonos Arc soundbar, sources familiar with the company’s plans said, citing The edge.
Although Sonos releases major updates about every two weeks, the situation doesn’t seem to be improving much. In fact, Sonos is considering relaunching the old version of the app. The Verge reports that higher-ups at Sonos have discussed the possibility of bringing back the previous version of the app.
The cost of releasing a redesigned app without getting feedback from customers and insisting on supporting the app even after massive backlash is $20 million to $30 million in the short term, according to CEO Patrick Spence.
Unfortunately, Sonos also has to cut jobs. Over the weekend, the company laid off around 100 employees – a terrible move considering that all the blame lies with the superiors.
“Although redesigning the app was and is the right decision, our implementation – my implementation – did not meet expectations.”, said Patrick Spence. Spence, by the way, is not among the 100 employees laid off last week.
At this point, it’s safe to say that Sonos has lost all credibility after releasing its redesigned app that moves most features to the cloud – something most customers hate with a passion.
