Core Viewpoint - Bose Corp. will discontinue the cloud infrastructure for its SoundTouch audio speakers in February, which will prevent these devices from streaming music from services like Spotify and Pandora [1][5]. Company Response - A Bose spokesperson stated that the decision to retire the cloud infrastructure was difficult but necessary due to advancements in technology and the unsustainability of maintaining the aging platform [3][4]. - The company acknowledged customer frustrations and is offering a 25% discount on future purchases to affected customers, while also evaluating trade-in and upgrade options [9]. Customer Reactions - Customers expressed significant frustration over the decision, particularly those who have invested heavily in Bose products, viewing it as an arbitrary expiration of technology [2][8]. - Specific cases were highlighted, such as an elderly couple who rely on the SoundTouch speaker for music, illustrating the impact of the decision on users [7][8]. Industry Context - Other connected speaker manufacturers, like Sonos, have faced similar challenges but have opted to maintain cloud support for older products, contrasting with Bose's decision to completely suspend cloud functionality for SoundTouch [9][10].

Bose announced it will discontinue the cloud infrastructure for its “SoundTouch” line of audio speakers in February, rendering the devices unable to directly stream music from services like Spotify, Pandora, Amazon Music and others https://t.co/MKjXGoh8N0 ...