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State of Repair is Motherboard's exploration of DIY culture, device repair, ownership, and the forces fighting to lock down access to the things you own.
In the modern internet era, it’s increasingly clear that consumers no longer actually own the things we buy. Instead, we’re shelling out big bucks for products that can easily lose features or worse—stop working entirely on the whim of a corporation.
The latest example comes courtesy of Sonos, which this week informed customers in an email that it would no longer be supporting certain speaker systems. In the email, the company says that certain “legacy” systems will stop receiving security and software updates starting in May.
“Legacy products were introduced between 2005 and 2011 and, given the age of the technology, do not have enough memory or processing power to sustain future innovation,” the company’s email claims. Users that have shelled out hundreds or thousands of dollars for smart speakers that still work didn’t take the news particularly well.
In a blog post, Sonos says owners of these legacy systems have two options: they can simply keep using the products, understanding they won’t receive new features, bug fixes, or software and security updates. Or users can trade in the older gear while nabbing a 30 percent discount on the purchase of a new Sonos system.
The first option potentially opens customers up to security headaches in an era where internet of things devices are routinely hacked. Sonos’ second option, its trade-in program launched last October, came under fire just last month for being wasteful.
Users who trade in older Sonos systems immediately get a 30 percent discount—but their older hardware immediately enters a 21 day countdown before being put in “recycle mode.” Products in recycle mode can’t be re-used or repurposed without Sonos’ permission—a wasteful outcome for a program Sonos claims was designed to minimize environmental impact.
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