Did you pre-order the new iPod Touch as soon as it was announced last month? If so, you’ve been waiting for the vague release date of October to roll around. We’re already a quarter through the month and there’s been no mention of an actual release date. There’s still no release date, but Apple has apparently started to reward the patience of those who pre-ordered the device.

Gigaom reports that Apple has started to ship out early iPod Touch pre-orders to early adopters. In this case, the device is being shipped via FedEx from China to the states with an estimated delivery date of October 15. The strange shipping method could be Apple’s way of cutting down on delivery time by shipping straight from the Chinese suppliers.

Of course, this brings up the question of why Apple listed the device as shipping in three weeks on the Australian store. Reports from The Next Web suggests that the current iPod Touch pre-orders are only being shipped to US and Canadian customers. It could also indicate that Apple won’t have the devices generally available on the Apple store until three weeks from now.

Apple could also be limiting the supply to these early pre-orders as they work to get production ramped up to meet demand. The iPhone 5 and iPod Touch share a lot of the same components including the larger 4-inch screen. GigaOm suggests that Apple could be prioritizing shipments of iPhone 5s as that device is Apple’s true money maker, whereas the iPod Touch is more or less a diversion these days.

Regardless, we’ll keep you updated on the strange launch of the iPod Touch. Apple should be making an official announcement regarding general availability soon.