Apple to Launch Personal Pickup for iPhone 5 Tonight

9to5Mac reports that Apple is planning to launch Personal Pickup for new iPhone 5 orders starting tonight at 10:00 PM Eastern. The program allows users to place and pay for orders online in advance and then pick up their items at an Apple retail store.

Customers can use the Apple Store App or website between 10PM-4AM nightly to pre-purchase available iPhone 5 inventory for the next day.

AppleInsider notes that the program is new for U.S. iPhone 5 customers, as sales in many other countries have already been made available on a reservation basis.

An announcement about the policy change was reportedly made internally to Apple's employees on Monday. Word then began spreading as the day went on.

For now, Apple's website still says that iPhone 5 purchases are available on a first-come, first-served basis. In contrast, customers in other countries, such as the U.K., have the option to reserve an iPhone 5 and pick it up the next day at an Apple retail store.

Reports differ on how long customers will have to pick up their purchased iPhones, with 9to5Mac saying that customers will have "upwards of 2 weeks" while AppleInsider says that customers will have to pick them up the following day or the units will be returned to the pool for purchase by other customers.