01/24/2020
I've read this article and similar - I would not come down on Sonos so hard (although I personally don't own any).
* First, the headline is completely wrong (at least for Sonos - for some other manufacturers, perhaps). From their site:
> Legacy products will continue to work with your Sonos system but will no longer receive software updates or get new features and services.
(Granted, if no longer receiving security patches, it should *not* be on the internet; then again your sound system should *not* be on the Internet in the first place)
* Second, essentially all things we have (not even computerized) have "end of life". Try to find out if your 10yo blender or 20yo car have spare parts? Not likely.
* Third, unlike non-computerized things, maintaining security, never-mind feature-parity, is ongoing and expensive. Should Sonos forever continue to invest money in something you paid $100 for a decade (or whatever) ago? Economically, if a company will support a product indefinitely, expect either a much higher retail price (which consumers dislike), or an ongoing maintenance cost (which consumers dislike) - basically, a manufacturer is screwed no matter what.
OTOH, what Sonos *could do*:
* Release non-proprietary code and APIs such that others could continue to offer new features and services (perhaps even for a price)
* Open source the old product code so others could customize and update the code.
Modern 'smart' hardware now comes with hidden expiration dates that encourage waste, p**s off consumers, and put the entire internet at risk.
