Should Apple buy Sonos? Steve Jobs wanted to sue them

Today’s story is unprecedented, the time 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 about Apple and Sonos thanks to Nick Wingfield de The Informationthe media known for leaking news and rumors about upcoming Apple products, in addition to having the essential support of the site’s John Gruber Daring Fireball which constantly releases interesting content of opinions and criticism about technology. Something that was not known is that someone deep inside Cupertino wanted the brand with the bitten apple to buy Sonos and instead of that, Steve Jobs refused and wanted to sue them. Why would something like this happen?

An untold story of Apple and Sonos

It is something very curious since it is a story that was not known until today. Tony Fadell is the important man behind this story, besides 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 was not interested enough. The reference to a former executive left Gruber wondering indicating that perhaps it could be Scott Forstall but he also thought of Tony Fadell. Carrying out the corresponding communication, Gruber confirmed that Fadell was the former executive to which The Information 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 was aware of the event and Steve Jobs was thinking of suing for it. Fadell was not satisfied with seeing what would happen and met with the founders of the sound equipment brand. He then explained the entire situation to Jobs but without success.

Fadell wanted to buy Sonos for one reason only, music. His argument to convince Jobs was surrounded by that, I knew that Apple’s market was music and the iPod was the best symbol of this. Steve Jobs refused to delve deeper into the subject and He closed the conversation with a forceful phrase: “No one wants what they are selling.”as stated by Fadell and told by John Gruber.

What product was it that looked like the iPod? It is about the ZonePlayer ZP90 and ZP120 and just by seeing the image where the screen is shown and right next to it a wheel, it is inevitable to have thought about the iPod of that time. It is strange that they were carried away by the design and not by its final purpose which was to synchronize wireless audio 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 intended for music consumption through speakers. Maybe today Beats would not be from Apple but from Sonos.

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