Steve Jobs wanted to sue Sonos over the iPod scroll wheel-like input
Back in the iPod days, one guy tried to persuade Steve Jobs to buy Sonos, but Apple’s co-founder instead wanted to sue the audio company.
In a story entitled “Where Does Sonos Go From Here,” published by The Information today, Nick Wingfield shares unknown details of Sonos’ beginnings around 2003.
“Years ago, a former senior Apple executive told me he once begged Steve Jobs, who was then Apple’s CEO, to buy Sonos,” the piece reads. “Jobs wasn’t interested.” That former Apple executive is Tony Fadell, John Gruber revealed on his Daring Fireball blog.
Steve Jobs wanted to sue Sonos
Around that time, Sonos was about to release a speaker with a wireless controller that featured an iPod-style scroll wheel for input. Tony Fadell thought Apple should acquire the company and tried talking Jobs into the deal several times. Instead, Jobs wanted to sue.
Of course, a lot has changed since then. Sonos is now an established premium audio brand, and many of its owners are also Apple fans. The company’s speakers integrate well with the Apple ecosystem and support features like AirPlay.
The article speculates that the Sonos brand “still might have enough cachet to interest a more powerful suitor,” but that’s a stretch—Sonos has had a rough 2024.
It rolled out a half-finished mobile app redesign against the advice from engineers and testers. The disastrous app launch caused all sorts of issues for owners of Sonos speakers. Worse, Sonos couldn’t revert to the old app because it’s also updated many things in its cloud software and firmwares powering its devices.
The whole saga hurt the Sonos brand and damaged the company’s reputation. As a result, Sonos has been cleaning house lately. Its CEO Patrick Spence has stepped down, with board member Tom Conrad acting as an interim CEO. Chief product officer Maxime Bouvat-Merlin will be leaving his position, too.
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