Sonos cancels its Apple TV competitor and halts future video streaming plans
The streaming video player from Sonos was due to launch at the end of this year
❌ Sonos has cancelled its Apple TV competitor
📆 The streaming video player, codenamed Pinewood, was due to launch in late 2025
✋ Sonos' interim CEO Tom Conrad announced that video plans are on hold, and the Pinewood team will be reassigned
🤝 Sonos will focus on improving software and restoring consumer confidence before entering another product category
Sonos has pulled the plug on its streaming video player that was set to rival Apple TV for control of your living room. The device, codenamed Pinewood, was planned to release in late 2025 and was in full development.
Sonos made the announcement during an all-hands-on call today (thanks, The Verge). Sonos' interim CEO Tom Conrad said that the company's video plans are on hold "for now" and the Pinewood team will be reassigned to other projects.
Sonos has begun to branch out into different product categories, starting with the Sonos Ace headphones. In our Sonos Ace headphones review, we said, “The $449 Sonos Ace has looks to die for and sound quality that could kill.”
However, with established players in the streaming industry including Apple, Roku, Amazon and Google, it's difficult to see how Sonos will make any waves.
Pinewood would have functioned similar to Apple TV and other streaming devices. However, it would have also doubled as an HDMI switcher and offered superior compatibility with Sonos' soundbars and speakers.
In the meantime, Sonos will focus on improving its software and restoring confidence in its consumer base before entering another product category. A problematic app update was rolled out in May 2024 which was widely criticized for its poor reliability, usability, and functionality compared to the previous version.
The update led to widespread frustration, with complaints about basic features like volume control being broken or unresponsive for months. However, some issues have since been resolved, though there's still work to be done to restore consumer confidence in the Sonos brand.
Adam Vjestica is The Shortcut’s Senior Editor. Formerly TechRadar’s Gaming Hardware Editor, Adam has also worked at Nintendo of Europe as a Content Marketing Editor, where he helped launch the Nintendo Switch. Follow him on X @ItsMrProducts.
