Amazon's Echo has impressed a lot of people, even its rivals.
Sonos today outlined what's next for the audio company, including Alexa-like voice controls for its lineup and a focus on streaming music.
"The entire music ecosystem is in transition," Sonos CEO John MacFarlane wrote in a blog post.
Unfortunately, that transition includes layoffs. "We are in the process of letting go of some Sonos employees who have played important roles getting us to this point," he wrote. Sonos declined to comment about how many employees were laid off.
Going forward, the team will try to play catch-up with Amazon's Echo.
"We're fans of what Amazon has done with Alexa and the Echo product line," MacFarlane said. "Voice recognition isn't new; today it's nearly ubiquitous with Siri, OK Google, and Cortana. But the Echo found a sweet spot in the home and will impact how we navigate music, weather, and many, many other things as developers bring new ideas and more content to the Alexa platform."
As a result, "we're going to focus on building incredibly rich experiences that were all but unimaginable when we started the company, and will be at the vanguard of what it means to listen to music at home," he said.
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But don't expect to purchase your own Sonos-branded, voice-enabled device any time soon; the company is "taking the long view."
"Voice is a big change for us, so we'll invest what's required to bring it to market in a wonderful way," MacFarlane acknowledged.
Meanwhile, the shift to music-streaming services like Apple Music, which is now available on Sonos sound systems worldwide, is inevitable, he argued. "We're doubling down on our long-held conviction that streaming music is the dominant form of consumption now and in the future," MacFarlane wrote.
The news comes shortly after Amazon expanded its Echo lineup with the Echo Dot and Tap. The hands-free, voice-controlled Echo Dot connects to speakers via an audio cable or a Bluetooth connection, adding voice control to your home stereo system. Tap is a more portable Echo that requires you to tap the microphone button before making a request.