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Ikea’s entry into the audio market has been notable, largely due to its partnership with Sonos, but now the retailer is making waves of its own with the new Vappeby Bluetooth speaker.
The outdoor speaker slash camping lamp, which looks a little bit like Darth Vader, is the first Bluetooth speaker from any manufacturer to support Spotify Tap.
The feature enables users to pick up where they left off streaming music, just by tapping a button on the speaker. If that’s not what you want to hear, you can tap it again to get a fresh recommendation from the streaming company.
Previously the tech has been limited to use in headphones, so this is a feather in the cap for the Swedes.
Elsewhere, the speaker promises 360-degree sound, designed to entertain all folks regardless of where they’re sitting. The LED light, which sits above the controls, is decorative and practical, Ikea says, and could allow you to combine two gadgets into one – your camping lamp and your battery-powered Bluetooth speaker. Handy if you’re looking to condense the equipment you carry with you on these weekends away.
The light on offer probably doesn’t compare to the dedicated speaker Table Lamp Speaker Ikea launched as part of it’s Symfonisk range, but it will be more than enough to stop you groping in the dark for your socks when you have to get up for a midnight pee.
The battery is rechargeable via USB-C and there’s iP65 water and dust resistance, meaning it should survive the odd shower or interaction with the dirt. Aside from all that, it’s pretty standard. There’s no voice assistant support or any of the fancy Sonos integration we’ve seen from some of Ikea’s other speakers.
It comes in blue and grey and it costs $64.99 in the United States. The speaker hasn’t appeared on the Ikea UK site yet, but we’ll let you know when availability broadens.
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