Apple is ready to begin selling Sonos speakers in its physical and online stores, which would add to the wireless speakers that the company will be selling through its channels.
Apple is already selling wireless speakers manufactured by Logitech, B&O and its own Beats brand. However, the Sonos speakers would be the first multi-room system that will be made available in the Apple Store.
According to a press release by Sonos, the expanded collaboration between the company and Apple will see two of its most popular speakers, the Play:1 and the Play:5, being added to the physical and online stores of Apple.
The speakers will be made available on the online store in the United States on Sept. 27, while 468 retail stores all over the world will start selling the Play:1 and Play:5 beginning Oct. 5. The Sonos devices will also be arriving in the online stores for most markets outside the United States over the coming weeks.
Sonos claims that the best way to discover what its speakers can offer to customers is by experiencing them first hand, which is something that will soon be offered in over 140 Apple Stores in the country as a hands-on demo of the Sonos Play:1 and Play:5 alongside Apple Music. A guided Sonos app will be installed in an iPad Pro to facilitate the demonstrations.
In connection with Apple Music, Sonos also revealed that customers who purchase either the Play:1 or Play:5 through Apple's physical or online store will also receive a free three-month gift card for Apple Music. The offer will last until Dec. 31, which gives customers ample time and the possibility to enjoy the free trial alongside purchasing a Sonos speaker as a gift for the holidays.
The Play:1 and Play:5 will be sold at $199 and $499, respectively, in Apple's stores, which is the same price that the speakers can be purchased for at a variety of other retail locations such as Best Buy and Target. The three-month Apple Music gift card and perhaps the convenience of a nearby physical Apple Store for a demo are the only incentives being offered for purchasing a Sonos speaker from Apple.
Apple is seemingly going all-in with wireless audio, as it built a microprocessor to power the wireless AirPods. The company, however, does not have a wireless speaker system of its own, and offering Sonos as an option in the Apple Store could get customers to buy in to wireless audio.
Perhaps Apple is also thinking of using the W1 processor of the AirPods on a future wireless speaker under the Beats brand, or purchase Sonos and integrate the processor into its products.
