Headphones are the most wanted tech gift this year, and that's good news for Apple

After months of speculation and consternation, Apple finally released its AirPods to the masses on Tuesday, ending a three-month delay. Within a couple of hours, shipping estimates for the little white wireless earbuds promptly flew from early next week to well past the holiday season - suggesting that demand is very high, and/or supply is pretty low. As of this writing, Apple says it'll take six weeks for a pair to arrive.

That Apple missed the Black Friday shopping rush - and that it can't meet whatever demand for the product is out there today - isn't good. But as this chart from Statista shows, the fact it'll at least get some pairs out there before Christmas is significant.

According to recent data from the Consumer Technology Association, more US consumers plan on buying headphones as a holiday gift than any other tech product type. Given Apple's ubiquity, you can expect it - and particularly its subsidiary Beats, which also has two new pairs - to capture a fair chunk of that eager market.