Once upon a time at Google I/O in May 2018, JBL announced the Link Bar — an ambitious new gadget that combined a premium soundbar, Google Assistant speaker, and Android TV device into one single product. It was initially scheduled for a release sometime in the fall of that year, but this past January, it was pushed back to Spring 2019.
Now, it's being reported that the Link Bar has been delayed again until this summer.
When asked about the delay, JBL issued the following statement to Android Police:
The JBL LINK Bar's in-market availability is now planned for mid-to-late summer. We look forward to bringing this dynamic, smart soundbar to consumers.
As for what's causing the delays, JBL isn't saying. The Link Bar is the first device of its kind, so it's very possible that JBL may have gotten too far ahead of itself and needs a bit more time to make sure all of the Link Bar's various components work the way they should. There are plenty of soundbars out there that have the Google Assistant built-in, but the Link Bar stands out by also providing your TV with an Android TV interface and a Chromecast target.
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