Om Malik has six questions for Sonos

We now officially owe Om Malik, the master of GigaOm.com and telecom writer for Business 2.0
magazine, a favor. Last week he sat down with Tom Cullen, vice president of marketing for
Sonos (a Santa Barbara, California-based start-up working on a wireless digital music system which may or may not have derived some of its inspiration from Apple's iPod) and came back with this short and sweet Q&A for us:

Q: What's the big deal about Sonos and why should anyone care?

A: Because traditional stereo is at risk from the Sonus Digital Music System.

   
Q: That doesn't really mean anything. These digital consumer devices are pretty darn difficult for Joe Six Pack.
A: I agree. We have focused very much on the set-up, in fact making it an automatic set-up. You can monitor anything from this little wireless controller from anywhere in  the house.

   
Q: What wireless standard do you use?
A: It is a proprietary mesh wireless networking technology that uses the 2.4 GHz spectrum.

 
Q: Of all the start-ups you could do, why focus on making a music player, for God's sake?
A: Well, all of us wanted this system for ourselves. And we built it, and now we have a great product that is easy to use and has nice margins.

Q: I heard you were being sued by Apple. Any truth to that rumor?
A: There is no truth to a rumor Sonos being sued by Apple.  Sonos is not being sued by any company for any reason.

Q: When will the product be out in the market? 
A: In October 2004... seriously.