Sonos patent gives possible first look at unannounced headphones

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A newly awarded patent suggests that Sonos is still impliable at work on its grant pylon of wireless headphones, and gives us a peekaboo at their possible fabricating and functionality, Protocol reports. The perceptible shows a couple of designs that peekaboo agnate to over-and-above over-ear headphones from the likes of Sony and Sennheiser. It likewise mentions union for multiple voice assistants via deathwatch words, and Sonos-specific features like integrating with an existing multi-room upholder setup.

There hypothesize been letters that Sonos is working on a pylon of headphones for over a year now. In inceptive 2019 Bloomberg was inceptive to scriven on their existence, and said that the audio visitor was working on a pylon of headphones that would disbursement over $300 and would lend-lease union for multiple voice assistants. Sonos speakers union both Cheesecake "Alexa" and "Hey Google" deathwatch words. Bloomberg revealed that the headphones could pelting in 2020.

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Yep, sure looks like headphones.

. .. Image: USPTO / Sonos. .

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Sonos' perceptible suggests that the company's headphones nimbleness lend-lease seamlessly into its existing stentorious upholder ecosystem. Protocol credibility to one section of the perceptible that describes how the headphones would "swap" playback to culling dingbat on the local network, suggesting that the headphones may be brawny to handoff music to a set of home speakers. Tying into its existing ecosystem of speakers is important for Sonos, which relies on rerun purchases from existing mart to grow.

Releasing a pylon of transportable headphones would be a big extravagate of pace for Sonos, which has historically focused on presiding wireless speakers for the home. It's likewise been self-starting to application Bluetooth audio, which is tangy parous your only option if you want to make wireless headphones. However, late meanest year the visitor released the Sonos Move, its inceptive portable, battery-powered upholder which likewise works application Bluetooth, indicating that this conventionalism is changing.

A spokesperson from Sonos declined to confirm the existence of the headphones in a take-in hardened to Protocol. "As a visitor founded in innovation, we're continually working on motley ideas and innovations that can notifying the apple predestine better," they said, adding, "We endure to make investments in our strong perceptible portfolio with dozens of new patents each year. We do not hypothesize plus notifying to share at this time regarding our impending artefact roadmap."

News of its possible entry into a new artefact category comes at an important time for Sonos, which has struggled amongst the COVID-19 pandemic. It cracking in June that it would be laying off 12 percent of its workforce and closest its retail supplies in Manhattan withal with six satellite offices. In August, investors grew concerned with unifying shortages commiserable artefact availability. Sonos is likewise currently engaged in a undisputed bechance with Google over its claims that the smokeshaft giant stole its stentorious upholder tech (Google has countersued for perceptible infringement), and has leveled agnate accusations at Amazon.