Sonos FCC filing confirms a voice-powered speaker
Whoops.
At this point, it's probably easier to list off who isn't making a voice-controlled smart speaker (that we know of). Thanks to an FCC filing, it looks like Sonos is getting close to jumping into the fray. "Product model S13 is a high-performance all-in-one wireless smart speaker and part of Sonos' home sound system," the document reads. "S13 adds integrated voice control functionality with far field microphones. Moreover, the device will support multiple voice platforms and music services, allowing customers to effortlessly control their music on Sonos." That lays it out pretty well, no?
Combined with what new CEO Patrick Spence told us back in January, this may very well be an integration of Amazon's Alexa tech. "We're working with Amazon on Echo, but we wanted to do something deeper," he said. As Zatz Not Funny noticed, this looks like native hardware integration with a dedicated touch panel versus tacked-on software support. But with the Google Home already on the market and Apple's HomePod en route, you have to wonder if Sonos is going to be late to the party.
