https://blog.bolt.io/what-cracking-open-a-sonos-one-tells-us-about-the-sonos-ipo-dcab49155643

For eight years, a war has been raging between a number of unlikely players. This bloodless technology battle is turning out to be one of the fiercest and most expensive we’ve seen in decades. The prize is one of the most sought-after commodities in the world: access to tens of millions of homes. It all starts with a 100 year old invention: speakers.

The reason that this battle matters, is that it reflects a huge change in consumer behavior. Until recently, there were very few pipes into the home: telecom companies like Comcast and AT&T providing a paid monthly service. A few years ago, modern technology companies discovered how easily consumers could be convinced to allow much deeper access and without the cost of providing a paid service. Voice-controlled speakers from the likes of Amazon, Apple, and Google have struck a deep nerve with consumers’ frustration of many tech-enabled devices with too many apps, interfaces, buttons, and controls. The first big wave of these devices have been wildly commercially successful.