Tech
Ikea’s new Bluetooth speaker is actually a lantern with built-in Spotify
The $65 speaker is also the first Bluetooth speaker to work with Spotify Tap.
One tap is all you need to get Spotify going on Ikea’s new Bluetooth speaker. Ikea introduced its Vappeby speaker, which is the first Bluetooth speaker built with Spotify Tap.
Like its name suggests, Spotify Tap lets you play music from Spotify with just a push of a button. Instead of going through the process of taking out your phone, pairing it with whatever device you’re listening on and then finding the right song for the mood, you can just hit one button for some instant tunes. So far, Spotify Tap has only been available on certain headphones and earbuds, but now that same shortcut is available with Ikea’s Vappeby speaker. And unlike most of its other speakers, Ikea designed the Vappeby with some portability and durability in mind since it has a handle and an IP65 rating.
Musical lantern — Once Spotify is playing on the Vappeby, you can press the Spotify Tap button again to have it play music suggestions based on an algorithm that looks at your music preferences. Sometimes you know exactly what playlist you want, but this feature is perfect for all those other indecisive times when you just want to throw some random jams on.
If you’re not a fan of Spotify or its sometimes-repetitive algorithmic results, you can use the Vappeby with other music streaming services or even as just a regular speaker, playing whatever audio you have on your paired device.
The Vappeby features 360-degree sound, but Ikea also incorporated lighting elements into the Bluetooth speaker. Its lantern-like design isn’t just aesthetics — it has a built-in LED lightbulb and two different light modes.
It’s not the first time Ikea combined light and sound for its home accessories since they previously worked with Sonos on a combination table lamp and speaker. Unlike the Symfonisk table lamp, the Vappeby is much better at handling dust and water and is meant to be used both indoors and outdoors. With no wires, The Vappeby has a battery life of up to 12 hours and can be recharged via a USB-C port.
FCC preview — We already knew of this product when Ikea submitted its filings for the Vappeby to the FCC in October. There doesn’t seem to be any major design changes from the filing, but we now have pricing and availability details. Ikea said the $65 Vappeby will come in blue and grey and is expected to release in Ikea stores and online in April.
