
Another growth driver is the growing popularity of Internet music streaming among consumers, Cullen said. Sonos tapped into that demand over the years by expanding the selection of Internet radio stations and Internet music-streaming services accessible through its system, most recently with the addition last week of Spotify in the U.S., he said. Sonos systems in the U.S. now access 13 streaming services and thousands of Internet radio stations.
The company expects the new $299 two-way speaker, called Play:3, to help keep the momentum going. Play:3 is available in stores today and joins the larger $399-suggested Play:5 three-way speaker, formerly called the ZonePlayer S5.
Both tabletop speakers deliver stereo from a single chassis and wirelessly stream music from the Internet and from networked PCs when a home's router is connected to a wireless-equipped Sonos Bridge, which was recently repriced to a suggested $49 from $99. The speakers also stream music from iPods and iPhones docked in a wireless iPod/iPhone dock launched late last year at a suggested $119.
The Play:3 is not only less expensive than the Play:5 but is also less expensive than two other Sonos options that consumers can use to build a wireless multi-room audio system. Those options include the $349 Sonos Connect Amp, which connects to an existing sound system and was formerly called the ZonePlayer ZP120. The other option is the $499 Connect, which features built-in amplifier to connect to a pair of passive speakers. It was formerly called the ZonePlayer ZP90.
PC-stored songs and Internet music sources played back through the speakers, Connect and Connect Amp can be selected wirelessly from a $349 handheld RF controller, from an iPod/iPhone app launched in 2009, an iPad app in late 2010, and an Android app earlier this year.
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