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Want an iPhone 5? Head over to carrier sites, stores...now

Apple's Web site is now listing the iPhone 5 as available in two weeks, but carriers are still offering the handset for launch day, while supplies last.

Don Reisinger
CNET contributor Don Reisinger is a technology columnist who has covered everything from HDTVs to computers to Flowbee Haircut Systems. Besides his work with CNET, Don's work has been featured in a variety of other publications including PC World and a host of Ziff-Davis publications.
Don Reisinger
Verizon Wireless will deliver the iPhone on September 21.
Verizon Wireless promises (at the moment) to deliver the iPhone on September 21. Screenshot by Don Reisinger/CNET

Consumers on the U.S. East Coast this morning awoke to a perhaps discouraging sight: Apple's iPhone 5 preorders had already exhausted their initial supply.

According to Apple's Web site, people looking to order the iPhone 5 now will need to wait two weeks before they can get their hands on the new smartphone. The iPhone 5's official launch date is September 21, just one week away.

However, those who aren't willing to wait aren't left out in the cold just yet. All three U.S. carriers -- AT&T, Verizon Wireless, and Sprint -- currently list on their Web sites the iPhone 5 as available for delivery on September 21. What's not clear, however, is how long it'll take for their supply to run out.

As of 5 a.m. PT today, CNET was able to preorder an iPhone 5 from all three carriers and ensure shipment on September 21. However, Verizon's site is extremely slow at the moment, and Sprint took some time to load, indicating the companies' servers might be getting hit hard.

Of course, it's possible to head into a carrier or Apple store to preorder the iPhone 5 as well. It's not currently clear how much supply the stores have.

So be sure to act quickly if you want to get your hands on Apple's iPhone 5 on launch day. By the look of things, supplies won't last long.