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Apple to allow iPhone 5 reservations, report says

Customers will be able to preorder phones each evening between 10 p.m. and 4 a.m. for in-store pickup the next day, according to 9To5Mac.

Shara Tibken Former managing editor
Shara Tibken was a managing editor at CNET News, overseeing a team covering tech policy, EU tech, mobile and the digital divide. She previously covered mobile as a senior reporter at CNET and also wrote for Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal. Shara is a native Midwesterner who still prefers "pop" over "soda."
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Eager iPhone 5 buyers wait outside Apple's Palo Alto store early Friday morning.
Eager iPhone 5 buyers wait outside Apple's Palo Alto store early Friday morning. James Martin/CNET
Apple fanboys may finally have a reprieve from the long lines for the iPhone 5.

The electronics giant is expected to launch its in-store product reservation system, Personal Pickup, for the iPhone 5 tonight at 10 p.m. ET, according to 9To5 Mac. Customers can access the system through Apple's store app or Web site between 10 p.m. and 4 a.m. each night to reserve available iPhone 5 inventory for the next day, 9To5 Mac said.

Apple has utilized reservations in years past. The system provides buyers with a way to secure a device without having to wait in line for long, or show up at a store that does not have the model they want in stock. Apple has also used the system with product launches, though it ceased that process due to a need for two separate lines at its retail locations.

Meanwhile, Apple earlier today said it sold 5 million iPhone 5 smartphones over the weekend, topping the mark set by last year's iPhone 4S by 1 million units but falling short of some analysts' estimates.

Apple wasn't immediately available to comment. We'll update this post if we get confirmation from the company on the reservation system.