Sonos, known for its range of high-end speakers, considered developing a speaker that would connect to the iPhone via MagSafe, reports The Verge.
Engineers at the company prototyped a tiny, iPhone-compatible speaker that would attach directly to the device, with music that would play over a Bluetooth connection. According to The Verge, the prototype speaker had a square shape, and it was similar to the look of Apple's now-discontinued MagSafe Battery Pack, but thicker.
Some employees thought the speaker product would resonate with Gen Z, and expected it to deliver good sound regardless of the compact size. Sonos ended up scrapping the project, though, due to "technical limitations, questionable appeal, and a limited target market."
Sonos has been working to expand its product lineup. Last year, Sonos introduced the Sonos Ace headphones that compete with high-end headphones like the AirPods Max, and later this year, it is rumored to be planning to introduce a set-top box similar to the Apple TV.
Top Rated Comments
Good thing it was scrapped.
There is a product that does this made by a company called Chargeworx but the reviews aren't inspiring. The iPhone's speakers are actually pretty good on their own. Doing better needs something pretty high quality.
Aside from this idea, which sounds interesting for travel usage in particular, I would still like to see a larger MagSafe speaker dock of some kind, from somebody