Microsoft's Surface Earbuds, the company's attempt to compete against the Apple AirPods, won't be ready for this year's holiday season as originally planned.

Microsoft will delay their release until next spring, citing the need to refine the wireless headphones. "Product-making is about the relentless pursuit to get all the details right, which takes time…sometimes more than we planned on," the company's chief product officer Panos Panay said in a tweet on Thursday.

"To ensure we deliver the best possible experience for you, our fans and customers, Surface Earbuds will now launch worldwide in Spring 2020," he added.

Microsoft unveiled the unusually shaped $249 Surface Earbuds last month. Each earpiece is attached to a disc-like circular surface, which you can swipe to control your smartphone's music player. A long-press will activate your phone's voice assistant.

The product has also been integrated with Microsoft Office. So you can, for example, swipe the earbuds to advance a PowerPoint presentation. In addition, the headphones can transcribe your spoken words into text with the help of Microsoft's software.

The Surface Earbuds boast an 8-hour battery life, and come in a charging case, for additional battery life. But oddly, the product is missing a notable feature found in some of today's premium wireless headphones: active noise cancellation. Apple's new AirPods Pro do have the feature built in, also for $249.