It looks like Apple's wireless AirPods delay means they won't be available for Christmas

AirPods, the wireless earbud headphones Apple launched alongside the headphone jack-less iPhone 7, won't go on sale in 2016.

That's according to MacRumors, which cites the Chinese-language Economic Daily Times writing about Inventec, an Apple supplier.

"Apple originally planned to release the AirPods at the end of October, but has postponed release. Inventec is expected to begin shipping AirPods in January 2017, the paper noted."

While it's a bummer for everyone who was hoping to find a pair of the cordless white earbuds underneath the Christmas tree, it's probably a good thing for the product in the long run. The review unit provided by Apple that Business Insider tried has some glitches. Sometimes the audio cuts out, for example.

Apple originally said that AirPods would go on sale in "late October." Last week, it provided a statement pushing the release date back for an undetermined time. Apple did not immediately return a request seeking clarification on when the AirPods will go on sale. When it initially announced the delay last week, Apple said:

"The early response to AirPods has been incredible. We don't believe in shipping a product before it's ready, and we need a little more time before AirPods are ready for our customers."

Here's what AirPods look like in your ears:

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