IKEA is already making impressive moves with Smart Home tech with its Trådfri Smart Lighting Solution as well as its furniture integrated Qi charging.
Today IKEA announced an official partnership, we did not see coming, with SONOS to bring sound to the entire home.
IKEA’s head of Smart Home Björn Block commented:
“At IKEA we strive to make solutions for life at home by integrating technology into our home furnishing offer that are easy to use and affordable, thereby making smart home technology accessible to the many people. Together with Sonos we want to democratize music and sound in the home, and we want to create products designed for how people listen together at home. By teaming up with Sonos we want to combine IKEA home furnishing knowledge with Sonos’ expertise within great home sound.”
In true SONOS style this does not give us too much information. What we can assume is they will sell SONOS products and potentially design furniture that works with SONOS.
SONOS always patent their products and nothing new has been registered so we assume no new actual SONOS products will be developed we assume the development will be with IKEA.
For example, shelves that SONOS can attach too, in a similar way to how they have integrated Qi chargers into lamps.
An interesting development would be an official integration between Trådfri and SONOS allowing light and sound to work together without any 3rd party tech required.
Whatever is released this is pretty exciting and scary for Philips Hue and Flexson, the biggest seller of SONOS accessories.
We have asked IKEA for a comment and will update you.