Devindra Hardawar / via Engadget / Jan. 30, 2020

Every smart device you own will die -- Sonos was just the start. When the company announced it would retire a slew of 10-year-old devices, like the original Play 5, the consumer backlash was swift. You could see why people were angry: Hardcore Sonos fans could easily spend thousands of dollars filling their homes with smart speakers. Now they all seem like expensive paperweights. It didn't help that people were already angry about the company's Recycle Mode, which can brick devices for good, so recyclers can't even resell them.

Sonos initially planned to end security updates entirely and make it difficult for older gear to work alongside newer products. The company later apologized and said it would try to smooth out the process -- but make no mistake, they're still not long for this world. Here's the thing: The same is true for every single connected device you have. If it talks to the internet or relies on an app, it's only a matter of time until it dies...

Continue reading here: Every smart device you love will die -- starting with Sonos