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Sonos 27 Is Here to Clean up the App Mess (Again) — This Time with AI
Sonos 27 adds AI speaker control, presets and new headphone linking as the company tries to recover from its troubled 2024 app overhaul.
On Tuesday, Sonos announced its new Sonos 27 operating system alongside the $699 Sonos Beam Ultra soundbar and $449 Sonos Ace Ultra headphones launching September 29.
Following a 2024 app redesign that sparked user backlash and led to the dismissal of former CEO Patrick Spence, CEO Tom Conrad said the update brings 'acoustic engineering, adaptable software, intelligence and design together.'
Sonos Fabric allows devices to 'sense each other' and adapt roles based on positioning, while Sonos 27 supports connecting 'any outside AI assistant or agent,' including ChatGPT.
New app navigation and AI features arrive in early access on September 8, while the Ace Ultra features 35 hours of battery life and launches September 29.
Interim hardware lead Brandon Holley positioned Sonos as an 'audio operating system' rather than a speaker manufacturer, with the strategy integrating a proprietary assistant for 'music and mood curation.
Sonos announces an update of its operating system and two new devices. Sonos 27 is to bring new AI capabilities into the streaming network and a fresh app design, Beam Ultra and Ace Ultra are improved variants of the manufacturer's headphones and compact sound bar.