After more than a year of waiting, Sonos is finally making Google Assistant available on its smart speakers very soon. Sonos confirmed the launch in its quarterly earnings release, noting that Assistant support for the Sonos One and Sonos Beam would arrive in the United States first, then other markets.
Sonos had demoed and launched a closed beta this past January for the feature, so its imminent launch should perhaps come as no surprise to most. Its speakers will be the first on the market to support both Amazon Alexa and Google's digital assistant.
Beyond confirming the launch, Sonos didn't share other details. As such, it remains uncertain whether or not Assistant will work with other Sonos speakers via a Google Home device.
"This feature will truly elevate the customer experience and marks the first time that consumers will be able to buy a single smart speaker and get to choose which voice assistant they want to use," said CEO Patrick Spence. "We think giving consumers choice is always the right decision, and we anticipate this philosophy will be adopted in the industry over time."
Google Assistant Coming To Sonos Smart Speakers
Sonos originally promised to bring Assistant to its Sonos One speaker back when it announced the device in October. The company then missed its 2018 target, but did manage to demonstrate that the Assistant was working on its hardware earlier this year at CES. Now, the company is ready to integrate Assistant into two of its voice-enabled smart speakers. It's worth noting that Sonos' other, newer speakers also support AirPlay 2, which allows iOS users to play music via Siri.
Sonos Financial Results
Sonos also shared good news via its earnings letter, saying it generated $210 million in revenue, up 13 percent year-over-year. The company sold 785,291 in the quarter, which means the company is making more money on the products it's selling, as Engadget notes. The biggest cash chow among its product portfolio are the home theater speakers, which generated $89 million in revenue, 29 percent more compared to last year. Its home speakers are also doing quite well, having grown 57 percent on a volume basis, according to Sonos.
However, home speaker revenue dropped greatly, raking in just $71.5 million in revenue for the quarter, which represents a 17 percent decline. Sonos said this was because of the discontinuation of the Play:3 and the waning demand for the Play:1. The Sonos One, on the other hand, sold very well, collecting 14 percent more revenue compared to last year.
