The iPhone 5 may not be official just yet, but that hasn't stopped at least one carrier from taking reservations for the new Apple smartphone. Deutsche Telekom has confirmed to Bloomberg that it is now accepting pre-orders for the iPhone 5 from customers that specifically request the device. However, the reservation coupons that are being handed out don't actually say "iPhone 5" or have any release information on them. A DT spokesperson explained the situation by saying that the carrier is concerned about supply bottlenecks for the iPhone 5.
Although it's kind of strange to see a carrier begin taking pre-orders for a phone that doesn't even officially exist yet, this could be a smart move by Deutsche Telekom. Previous iPhone launches have seen long lines and several folks are forced to go from store to store in hopes of finding the new iDevice, so DT's decision to begin accepting pre-orders for the iPhone 5 around a month before it's rumored to be launching may help reduce that problem. It's not yet clear if any U.S. carriers plan to begin taking iPhone 5 reservations as well, but one report from last month claimed that Apple may start offering pre-orders at the tail end of this month.
