Trade Up: Recycling à la Sonos

To start with, owners of the Connect, Connect:Amp, ZP80, ZP90, ZP100, ZP120 and the first generation Play:5 will receive a 30 percent discount on any new Sonos product when they decide to part with their older device. They will then benefit from new technologies such as AirPlay2, Voice Control, Trueplay, etc. However, the old device does not have to be returned to the dealer or sent to Sonos. Rather, the "trade up" works as follows: simply register your old product on the Sonos website to put it into "recycling mode" and then receive your 30 percent discount. After 21 days, the device is cleansed of data online and permanently deactivated. You can then either dispose of it at a recycling centre as electrical waste or send it back to Sonos with the pre-paid shipping label. On the one hand, this feels like a pretty smart idea Silicon Valley-style – on the other hand, the thought that manufacturers can nowadays permanently deactivate a product from a distance at the push of a button is somewhat frightening.