Ikea to launch Sonos speakers in August

Ikea’s much-anticipated line of Sonos-powered smart speakers is set to hit stores this August, according to a video released by the Swedish furniture giant last Friday.

Ikea didn’t reveal specific details about the upcoming Symfonisk range, but the video suggests the retailer built the smart speakers directly into pieces of furniture.

“You need to take up space to make sound,” Sonos product manager Sara Morris (pictured right) said in the video.

“And it’s only by working with Ikea, we can tuck that sound into the furniture in hidden ways, that we could really stop people thinking about the speaker, and start thinking about the sound.”

Ikea first teased the idea of embedding speakers into furniture last year, when it revealed prototypes of Sonos speakers that doubled as shelves at its Democratic Design Days conference.

This would differentiate Ikea’s Symfonisk range from the Sonos products currently available in Australia through Sonos’ website and local retailers, including Myer, David Jones, JB Hi-Fi and Harvey Norman.

Ikea has also stated that it wants to make the price level affordable for many people.

Sonos, which listed through an IPO last year, expects the collaboration to introduce its wireless speakers to potentially millions of new customers.

The Symfonisk range is part of Ikea’s broader investment in smart home technology, which started with wireless mobile phone chargers in 2015 and now includes smart lighting and powerpoints.

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