Sonos speaker update sparks anger

Owners of Sonos products have reacted angrily to the firm's announcement that it will no longer issue software updates for its older devices from May.

Many say they have spent hundreds of pounds on Sonos speaker products for their homes over the years.

Newer Sonos products connected with the older ones will also be left out of future updates.

The change affects four models sold between 2006 and 2015, including the Connect:Amp and Connect.

Without the updates, they will eventually lose functionality.

Access to other services will also become limited.

Sonos said the hardware had been "stretched to its technical limits in terms of memory and processing power".

And affected customers can upgrade to a newer device with a 30% discount in return for recycling the old product.

But the news has annoyed many Sonos owners.

Richard Street told the BBC he had spent £1,000 ($1,300) on two Play 5 speakers. Even with the upgrade discount he believes it would cost him around £700 to replace them.

"This is money my family and I just don't have," he said.

"There is a feeling among the community that if Sonos gets away with this then they will do the same with all kit over time."

Sonos told BBC News 92% of the products it had ever shipped were still in use.

BBC technology correspondent Rory Cellan-Jones tweeted it was "very poor marketing and damaging for the brand".

Sonos's share price fell slightly following the announcement, closing at $14.80, down from a high of $15.05.