Today's story is unprecedented, the time when Apple could have acquired Sonos but instead Steve Jobs wanted to sue them for a product similar to the iPod.
This article will tell an interesting story on Apple and Sonos thanks to Nick Wingfield of The Information, the media known for filtering news and rumors about upcoming Apple products, in addition to having the essential support of John Gruber of the Daring Fireball site who constantly publishes interesting content opinions and reviews on technology. Something we didn't know is that someone deep in Cupertino wanted the bitten apple brand to buy Sonos and instead, Steve Jobs refused and wanted to sue them. Why would something like this happen?
An untold story of Apple and Sonos
This is something very curious since it is a story that was not known until today. Tony Fadell is the important man behind this story, alongside Steve Jobs. According to the article written in The Information about Sonos and its fate, it was revealed that there was a former Apple executive who “tried to persuade Steve Jobs” to make the purchase of the company dedicated to sound equipment.
This article reached the eyes of John Gruber, who responded by sharing the paragraph about purchasing Sonos.. Perhaps the purchase was not made first because it was not yet as well-known and prestigious a brand as it is today, in addition to the fact that Steve Jobs wasn't interested enough. THE reference to former executive left Gruber perplexed indicating that it could possibly be Scott Forstall but he was also thinking of Tony Fadell. Carry out the corresponding communication, Gruber confirmed Fadell was the former executive to which the news article referred.
Tony Fadell, former vice president of Apple's iPod division
Tony Fadell became interested in purchasing Sonos in 2003
Sonos would debut on the market with a device with a wheel very similar to that of the iPod. Tony Fadell knew about the event and Steve Jobs was considering filing a complaint. Fadell was not content to just see what would happen and met the founders of the sound equipment brand. He then explained the whole situation to Jobs, but to no avail.
Fadell wanted to buy Sonos for one reason: music. His argument to convince Jobs was surrounded by this: I knew Apple's market was music and the iPod was the best symbol of this. Steve Jobs refused to delve into the subject and He closed the conversation with a strong statement: “No one wants what they're selling. »as stated by Fadell and recounted by John Gruber.
What product was similar to the iPod? These are the ZonePlayer ZP90 and ZP120 and just by seeing the image where the screen is shown and a wheel right next to it, it is inevitable to have thought of the iPod of that time. It is strange that they were carried away by the design and not by its purpose which was to synchronize audio wirelessly with different devices. Steve Jobs was upset and it is understandable that he wanted to sue although it would also have been spectacular if Apple, from the beginning, had a catalog of products aimed at consuming music through speakers. Perhaps today, Beats would not come from Apple but from Sonos.
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