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Sonos's “recycle mode” intentionally bricks devices so they can't be reused

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Re: Sonos's “recycle mode” intentionally bricks devices so they can't be reused

#311

Post by jakobegger »

I was going to buy a Sonos speaker, but this changed my mind. I'm not buying a device that was built to be bricked.

I would have bought a Sonos instead of an Apple Homepod because I thought they were more "open". But if the manufacturer can just make my device useless, I'm not interested.

Audio and Hifi gear is extremely versatile and virtually everything is compatible. High end devices easily last for decades. This feature makes it clear that Sonos has no intention of following that tradition.

Re: Sonos's “recycle mode” intentionally bricks devices so they can't be reused

#312

Post by Dylan16807 »

smacktoward wrote: post #87
walrus01 wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Well, this is where the industry is going. The latest buzzword we hear in the industry is called "product as a service" — you buy a product, but still don't own it, and have to keep your subscription going so the seller don't remotely brick your device. This is exactly what Cisco has done in the small/medium sized business market with their acquisition of Meraki. Pay forever or your router and wifi stops working. I…

It's also the direction Microsoft has been slowly moving Windows. You think it'd be bad if your router stopped working when you stopped paying, imagine the same scenario for your operating system.

I'm not sure what you mean. Windows 10 is far less aggressive about activation than previous versions. It puts a little disapproving watermark on the desktop and nothing else.

Re: Sonos's “recycle mode” intentionally bricks devices so they can't be reused

#313

Post by jstanley »

Hackbraten wrote: post #251
userbinator wrote: post #106

If there's a demand, someone industrious will likely figure out a hack --- I hope. Server-side blacklisting (unlike whitelisting) doesn't stop someone from simply changing whatever unique ID they have to a different one. I can even see repair shops doing this service for those who accidentally bricked their devices. This reminds me of a related situation I've seen with electric toothbrushes --- they have instructions…

I disagree. Electric toothbrushes need to be 100 % waterproof to be usable safely. If I were a toothbrush manufacturer, I’d at least look into making the brush self-destruct when opened, for safety reasons (and safety reasons alone).

What about an electric toothbrush is unsafe if it is not 100% waterproof?

Re: Sonos's “recycle mode” intentionally bricks devices so they can't be reused

#314

Post by timc3 »

Al-Khwarizmi wrote: post #76
starsinspace wrote: post #19

So Sonos devices need "activation" via some server on the internet? Why? If I just want to stream audio within my own home, why is internet even necessary? And what happens when Sonos goes out of business and the servers are shut down? I just don't understand why people keep buying such things...

They seem to be one of the few brands that give good audio quality and modern convenience at the same time. For example, I was looking for a device that would (1) be placeable on my living room furniture[1], and let me use a couple of trusty Monitor Audio speakers both (2) for playing music (e.g. from my phone, computer or streaming sources like Spotify) and (3) for TV audio, as those speakers sound much better than…

I cut a hole in the back of my living room furniture so that the AV receiver sticks out the back and seeing as rooms often have skirting boards it gives me the few extra centimeters needed.

Obviously not the route for everyone!

Re: Sonos's “recycle mode” intentionally bricks devices so they can't be reused

#315

Post by zhrvoj »

Ooooo what a sustainable behaviour... Next step is to schedule Recycle mode. Then we will have to hack the gadget not to do that. My friend she is using Sony android phone from 2013, she disabled google apps long ago, I did some things, and for average user like she is, it is perfect, fast and responsive, Whapp, Viber, calls, camera...spending money on travelling, not on manufacturer's jerking-gadgets. I presume Sony and other manufacturers don't like us to much. Frankly, I don't give a damn...

Re: Sonos's “recycle mode” intentionally bricks devices so they can't be reused

#316

Post by nl »

Dylan16807 wrote: post #308
nl wrote: post #209

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It seems that it was you, who are unfamiliar with its background and implication. What makes you think I am unfamiliar with the background? Was it the polite way I pointed out that you had clearly missed the sarcasm? Either way, the hostility is unnecessary.

Calling out the sarcasm for being misaimed is not the same as missing the sarcasm. > the polite way I pointed out that you had clearly missed the sarcasm? That wording makes your comment just as hostile as theirs. If that's the intent you had in your first comment, well, you went first . Not much room to complain about low-level tit-for-tat hostility at that point.

I think saying "I think" softens it and additionally it isn't accusational unlike "It seems that it was you, who are unfamiliar with its background and implication." (emphasis mine)

But I think tone on the internet is difficult to read.

And I had no negative intent in noting the sarcasm. I didn't think the replier realised it, and I'm still not convinced they do.

Re: Sonos's “recycle mode” intentionally bricks devices so they can't be reused

#317

Post by asdff »

wayoutthere wrote: post #30
reeddavid wrote: post #23

What a total waste. Apparel companies are starting to participate in the secondary market for their used gear, why can't Sonos do something similar? Examples: - Patagonia Worn Wear ( https://wornwear.patagonia.com ) - REI Used Gear ( https://www.rei.com/used/shop/gear ) - Arc'teryx Rock Solid ( https://rocksolid.arcteryx.com ) As it stands, Sonos is effectively buying their old speakers and then throwing them away. C…

Then they would have to continue supporting those devices, which isn’t part of the planned obsolescence business model. It would also dilute the luxury brand halo that Sonos has tried to cultivate. It’s more like Louis Vuitton getting into the secondhand market. They too would (and do) destroy merchandise rather than let it get sold at a discount and dilute the brand value.

You can already buy louis vuitton at the nordstrom rack.

The model for highly disposable luxury technology is Apple. Apple is also the model for refurbished goods. These things aren't mutually exclusive. You can tuck away a refurbished part of the site just out of the eyes of the majority just like Apple does.

Re: Sonos's “recycle mode” intentionally bricks devices so they can't be reused

#318

Post by kristianc »

jakobegger wrote: post #311

I was going to buy a Sonos speaker, but this changed my mind. I'm not buying a device that was built to be bricked. I would have bought a Sonos instead of an Apple Homepod because I thought they were more "open". But if the manufacturer can just make my device useless, I'm not interested. Audio and Hifi gear is extremely versatile and virtually everything is compatible. High end devices easily last for decades. This…

> I would have bought a Sonos instead of an Apple Homepod because I thought they were more "open". But if the manufacturer can just make my device useless, I'm not interested.

Nope, it’s just iOS updates that brick HomePods.

Re: Sonos's “recycle mode” intentionally bricks devices so they can't be reused

#319

Post by ben-schaaf »

tomc1985 wrote: post #304
tlb wrote: post #270

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They at least need an update server so they can receive security patches. Once you need that, it's a slippery slope to depending on lots of things in the cloud.

Why are these devices so complex as to need security updates?

Because they're connected to the internet. Because IoT.

Re: Sonos's “recycle mode” intentionally bricks devices so they can't be reused

#320

Post by asdff »

baybal2 wrote: post #57
Angostura wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> First gen Ipods were a prime example Eh what?

On early Ipods music was effectively "glued" to the individual player with a primitive DRM/scambling system. So, you were dead in the water without Itunes that kept the fairplay key for that particular player

When my friends and I first got ipods, we figured you'd be able to just plug into peoples laptops and copy songs like a thumb drive. Boy did we learn that day.
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