Apple's iPhone 5 is slated to hit stores tomorrow, and once customers have snatched up their new gadgets, they'll be clamoring for something else - a case to protect the $199 device.

But the iPhone 5's release will be slightly different in that Apple will not be directly selling any cases for the new phone on the same day as its release. The computer company does not list any cases for sale on its website as of Thursday.

Typically Apple offers an official case which competes with cases from third-party manufacturers, but this time customers will only have other companies' products to choose from.

"This is departure from the standard Apple launch that includes some kind of Apple case and a few third party cases, but it is the first real re-design of the iPhone in two years," according to GottaBeMobile.com blogger Josh Smith. "Many manufacturers waited to see the iPhone 5 and download the exact measurements before starting design and production of iPhone 5 cases."

Those manufacturers were working until the very last minute to perfect their work based on the exact specifications of the new iPhone.

Moments after Apple CEO Tim Cook unveiled the iPhone 5, employees at Griffin Technology, a Nashville-based manufacturer of Apple accessories, were scrambling to perfect mock-ups and tweak designs based on the new phone's specs, The New York Times reported.

"Kind of like everyone else, we're at the same starting line in the race to the peg," said Griffin Technology president Mark Rowan.

CLICK HERE for a slideshow of the best iPhone 5 cases on the market.