According to a recent AppleInsider report, the shipping of the first set of orders for Apple's newly-unveiled iPhone 5 - which will hit the markets on Friday, September 21 - has now started from ZhengZhou, China.

As per the report, the delivery updates of potential iPhone 5 buyers who were among the first to pre-order the new Apple smartphone have now started showing that the shipments of their devices has begun.

The AppleInsider report, about the start of iPhone 5 shipments from China, was substantiated by one delivery update from UPS, showing that transit of the device's shipments began on Sunday, September 16. However, the delivery of the packages is not likely to take place before the official, September 21, launch date of the handset.

Despite the fact that the Apple website is still showing the listing of the iPhone 5 orders as "preparing for shipment," some buyers who have pre-ordered the device have, nonetheless, been able to track their shipments with the help of a reference number, such as a mobile phone number mentioned in the order.

Meanwhile, noting that the pre-orders for iPhone 5 were an immediate sellout, Richard Doherty - an independent tech analyst at Envisioneering Group - said that Apple was apparently "caught by surprise by the size of the orders," because the company "expected the pre-orders to be a one-day cycle, and they were shocked that it was just one hour."