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Jawbone UP3 release date still a mystery due to manufacturing woes

Fitness tech pioneer Jawbone has admitted it still doesn’t know when it’ll be able to ship its latest Jawbone UP3 tracker.

The company has struggled to get the device to market following the announcement in November and, after an earlier delay, has finally revealed that manufacturing the device has been problematic.

A spokesperson for the company told TechCrunch it is struggling with quality control as it scales up manufacturing to greater volumes. Jawbone says the those built in smaller tests work well.

The representative says Jawbone hopes to announce a shipping date in the near future, but insisted it was more important to get the device right rather than rush it into the hands of consumers.

The product page is still allowing users to pre-order the device but warns a shipping date is still 10-11 weeks away.

The third-generation UP3 represents the most ambitious step forward yet; with a waterproof design, heart rate sensor and improved motion tracking technology that improves the device’s functionality for non-step-based workouts.

Right now, it looks like Jawbone is struggling to match those ambitions with the required execution to bring it to market.

Read more: Best fitness trackers 2015

Jawbone isn’t alone with its most recent strife. The company’s major rival Fitbit is currently dealing with more users experiencing skin irritation when using the new Surge devices.

The company have been forced to recall the previous generation Fitbit Force over the issue, but had initially assured everyone the problems had been resolved.

The problems come at the worst possible time for both companies, given Apple’s designs on the fitness tracking sector through the forthcoming Apple Watch.

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