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from the planned^Wscheduled-obsolescence dept.
Sonos, the consumer electronics company known for audio streaming and "smart" speakers, has decided that the music controller device, the "CR100", has reached end of life. By which they mean they will be pushing a software upgrade that will kill it.
... the next Sonos update in early April will turn off the CR100 connection -- unless you decide you don't want any updates at all. (Make sure you set that up in advance -- if you accept the update, you can't undo it and go back to using the old controller.)
That means if you want to keep on using a device you're happy with, you have to give up all the new features on all your Sonos speakers.
The company says its primary concern is the age of the lithium ion batteries in the controllers; although in that case an official device recall would be better than an update that stops them working - and a battery replacement scheme would handle the problem just as well.
Although the controller is old (Sonos stopped selling the CR100 in 2009) it is still perfectly functional for many users. However, according to a forum posting explaining the options these users will have to choose between the CR100 and the functionality of the rest of their system:
... opting not to update means you will not receive any new features or future security patches for your entire system – not just the CR100. For example, being on an unsupported version means that you might lose connectivity to music services, as is already the case for Google Play Music on the CR100. It is necessary to configure your system in advance to avoid future updates. Any update applied to the firmware and/or to the app, even unintentionally, is irreversible.
Originally spotted on The EEV Blog Youtube channel.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by HiThere on Monday February 12 2018, @05:28PM
One of the purposes of an EULA is to convince you that you've signed away rights that the local laws don't allow to be signed away.
Don't believe the EULA. They'll throw in anything that might convince you that you can't stop them. Perhaps it's right, but it doesn't need to be, and often isn't.
OTOH, also don't believe that just because it's abusive, it can't be enforced. Sometimes it can. And it differs by locality. If you really need to know, check with a local lawyer...preferably one who specialized in that kind of issue...and remember, the lawyer can only give you their opinion as to how the judge is likely to decide.
I, personally, prefer to refuse to purchase items with abusive EULAs...but one can't avoid them when purchasing necessities with limited suppliers. Just read the ER EULA some time.
Javascript is what you use to allow unknown third parties to run software you have no idea about on your computer.