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Deals: First cash deal on most affordable new M4 iPad Air, MacBook Air, Trail Loop, more

Avatar for Justin Kahn  | Mar 6 2026 - 8:45 am PT
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Today’s 9to5Mac Lunch Break is headlined by the first cash deal on the most affordable new M4 iPad Air (or as low as $249 with trade), as well as a chance to land the M4 MacBook Air with the same RAM/storage specs as new M5 model at $200 less. Those offers join the ongoing M5 Pro MacBook Pro and MacBook Neo pre-order deals as well as all Apple Watch Series 11 models at $100 off, the best price yet on this Blue/Bright Blue Apple Trail Loop at 35% off, and a solid deal on Apple’s latest Neon Green Ocean Band. Everything awaits below.

Best 2026 MacBook pre-order deals: MacBook Neo, M5 Air, and M5 Pro MacBook Pro

Apple has officially unleashed its next-generation M5 MacBook Air as well as the M5 Pro MacBook Pro, but it has also introduced the world to its new and far more affordable MacBook Neo. All three of the new models are now up for pre-order before shipments begin arriving on doorsteps mid next week, so we have now put together the best pre-order deals for folks to land a discount on their new 2026 MacBook.

MacBook Neo pre-order deals

M5 MacBook Air pre-order deals

M5 Pro MacBook Pro pre-order deals

Best Buy now offering first cash deal on most affordable new M4 iPad Air at $559, or as low as $249 with trade

Alongside offering the best deals on pre-orders for the new MacBook Neo, M5 MacBook Air, and M5 Pro MacBook Pro, Best Buy is also getting particularly aggressive with the brand new M4-equipped iPad Air lineup Apple just unveiled. While pre-orders listings for the new iPad are live at Amazon, Best Buy has now slashed the price on the new M4 model with deals starting down at $559 shipped for everyone (you do not need to be a Plus or Total member). 

M4 iPad Air pre-order deals

As you can see in the list below, Best Buy has decided to knock $40 off the most affordable M4 iPad Air you can buy – this is the best straight up cash deal around. Now, all Best Buy Plus and Total members can score any model at $50 off, but the 11-inch M4 can be had at $40 off in all four colors even without a membership: 

  • 11-inch M4 iPad Air 128GB $559 (Reg. $599) or $50 off for members
  • 11-inch M4 iPad Air 256GB $699 or $50 off for members
  • 11-inch M4 iPad Air 512GB $899 or $50 off for members
  • 11-inch M4 iPad Air 512GB1TB $1,099 or $50 off for members
  • 13-inch M4 iPad Air 128GB $799 or $50 off for members
  • 13-inch M4 iPad Air 256GB $899 or $50 off for members
  • 13-inch M4 iPad Air 512GB $1,099 or $50 off for members
  • 13-inch M4 iPad Air 1TB $1,299 or $50 off for members

With all of that said, if you do have some gear to trade in against the new M4 iPad Air, you’ll want to see what Best Buy will offer you first. There are reports suggesting it is offering as much as 20% more than Apple with some gear, so be sure to compare there. That on top of the discounts detailed above can yield the tablet as low as $249 or less right now. 

Then go check out the now live Best Buy Apple Shopping event right here as well as the rest of the new 2026 Apple gear pre-order deals below:

Land M4 MacBook Air with the same RAM/storage specs as new M5 model at $200 less

The new M5 MacBook Air pre-orders are live and we uncovered some deals for folks looking to make the upgrade. You can score a FREE $50 gift card with your purchase and even leverage some of the enhanced trade-in values over at Best Buy to land one at up to $600 off. But the question remains, is the M5 boost worth the spending close to $200 more if you don’t have something substantial to trade-in? Amazon is clearing out select M4 models, and even with the storage boost on the new M5, you can still land the M4 for $200 less than right now. 

Apple upped its storage offerings on the new M5 MacBook Air. There is now longer a 256GB storage tier and that means that, while the starting price did jump up $100, it actually brings the list prices down on the upgraded models. For example: 

  • 15-inch M4 MacBook Air 24GB/512GB $1,299 (Reg. $1,599)
  • 15-inch M5 MacBook Air 24GB/512GB $1,499 (Amazon does not sell this configuration)
  • 15-inch M5 MacBook Air 24GB/1TB $1,699

As you can see above, despite the higher price on the entry model, the price on the upgraded M5 machines has effectively gone down by comparison to the list prices on the M4 MacBook Air with the same specs. 

That said, you can indeed still land the 15-inch M4 MacBook Air with 24GB of RAM and the 512GB SSD at $1,299 right now – that’s $300 under its list price and $200 less than the comparable M5 MacBook Air. 

Yes, the M5 chip is faster and more powerful, and the SSD inside the newer models delivers, according to Apple, 2x faster read/write performance compared to the previous generation.” You’ll also get a better charger included in the box and the new model features Apple’s N1 wireless chip with Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) and Bluetooth 6. 

Best M5 MacBook Air pre-order deals: FREE $50 gift card, up to $600 off w/ trade

Apple just raised the entry price on M5 MacBook Pro, score the most affordable model at $250 less right now

Alongside today’s reveal of the all-new M5 Pro and M5 Max MacBook machines, Apple also quietly announced that it will no longer be selling M5 MacBook Pro with 512GB of storage – it will now start at 1TB. That means the starting price of the most affordable M5 MacBook Pro just went up to $1,699, and it also potentially delivers some added value to the 512GB M5 MacBook Pro you can still score right now at $1,449. 

The 512GB configuration for the base model and most affordable M5 MacBook Pro is already gone from the Apple site, and there’s no telling how much stock is left at retailers like Amazon and others. 

The 16GB M5 MacBook Pro with 512GB of storage Apple no longer sells carried a $1,599 list price – $100 less than the new starter price. However, over at Amazon right now you’ll find this model sitting down at $1,449 shipped. That’s $150 off the original list price and $250 less than the new entry point. 

The only times we have seen this 512GB variant go for any less than this was during Black Friday 2025 and there’s no telling what might happen with stock as Apple pushes the new 1TB entry model onto store shelves – the M5 Pro and M5 Max pre-orders begin tomorrow 

There is very much a chance we see the new 1TB M5 MacBook Pro go $200 off or even more than that, but chances are it won’t be until much later this year before we see it hitting the same prices as the 512GB model is today, if at all. We can’t know for sure of course, but you’re looking at summer Prime Day at the earliest and Black Friday 2026 as the most likely if we had to venture an educated guess. 

M5 Pro MacBook Pro pre-order deals now live: FREE $100 gift card, up to $800 off with trade-in

New MacBook Neo pre-order deals now live: Starting from $599 with FREE $25 gift card

All Apple Watch Series 11 models are $100 off for Mac pre-order week, deals from $299

It’s Apple spring pre-order week, with deals now live on early orders for the new M5 MacBook Air, M5 Pro MacBook Pro, and the all-new MacBook Neo. This offers are also sitting alongside the first cash discount on the new M4 iPad Air, but we are also tracking the return of solid $100 price drops across the entire Apple Watch Series 11 lineup this week as well. 

As you can see in the list below, all of the most sought-after (and most affordable) Apple Watch Series 11 models are now $100 off:

Unlike we were tracking at the end of last month, the deals are now live once again across all of the case color and band options Amazon offers. 

These deals are on par with the lowest we have tracked since release last September, knocking a straight up $100 off the list price you’ll pay at Apple and undercutting the official 2025 Black Friday deals. We did see these same offers land thereafter ahead of Christmas, but if you missed out or just weren’t ready to pull the trigger, the deals have returned once again.

New Apple AirTag 2 back at $24 low if you’re quick (Best Buy ‘excellent’ open-box)

This Blue/Bright Blue Apple Trail Loop just hits its best price ever at 35% off (Both sizes on sale)

Apple’s latest Neon Green Ocean Band hits best price of the year at 32% off (Within $2 of lowest ever)

Today’s accessories and charging deals:

Gigantic $450 price drop just hit this maxed out M5 iPad Pro at Amazon

Mario Day 2026 hub: New games, Switch games deals, eShop sale now live, more [Updated]

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Avatar for Justin Kahn Justin Kahn

Justin is a senior editor covering all things music for 9to5Mac, including our weekly Logic Pros series exploring music production on Mac and iOS devices. Justin is an audio engineer/producer with over 10 years experience in the music industry.

Justin Kahn's favorite gear

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Wireless Earbuds

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Wireless Earbuds
Apple Watch Ultra 2

Apple Watch Ultra 2