Worth the wait? For some, Microsoft's offering will be worth the wait. The buds feature omnisonic sound delivered via 13.6mm drivers and have dual microphone arrays in each bud. Combined with the charging case, you can get up to 24 hours of battery life. They're also compatible with Office 365 so you can use them to manage various Office tasks like recording to-do messages and listening to e-mails.
If Microsoft's new Surface Earbuds were on your holiday wish list, you'll either need to find an alternative solution or play the waiting game.
Surface hardware boss Panos Panay recently revealed on Twitter that the Surface Earbuds will now launch worldwide in the spring of 2020. Priced at $249, the wireless earbuds were expected to arrive in time for the holidays.
Panay said that product-making is about the relentless pursuit to get all the details right, which takes time. In this instance, it is taking more time than anticipated, hence the delay.
Manufacturing issues aren't all that uncommon but either way you slice it, this is a missed opportunity for Microsoft. There's no better time to launch a new tech product than the holidays and Microsoft is going to miss out on that potential revenue.
Of course, Microsoft isn't the only wireless earbud maker that'll miss the holidays. Google's new Pixel Buds, announced back in October, also won't be arriving until next spring. Meanwhile, Amazon and Apple announced new earbuds in September and October, respectively, and both are already on sale for $129.99 and $249.99, respectively.