Receipt of the notices was widely reported on the Twitter microblogging service. One of the notices seen by IDG News Service showed the phone being shipped from a FedEx facility in Memphis, Tennessee, for delivery on Friday. The phone was ordered through Verizon Wireless.

Verizon, Sprint and AT&T opened their websites to preorders last Friday at midnight Pacific time -- timing that disadvantaged those on the U.S. East Coast because it was 3 a.m. local time there.

On Monday, Apple said pre-orders of the new phone totaled 2 million in the first 24 hours. That was double the pace of orders for its predecessor, the iPhone 4S.

The quick pace of sales means that customers ordering the iPhone 5 online now can expect to receive it in October, Apple said.

Cellphone carriers in several countries around the world will begin selling the iPhone 5 through retail stores on Friday.