Best deals for iPad Air

• Wal-Mart is undercutting Apple and others with %24479 for iPad Mini
• Wireless carriers and trade-in sites offering %24200 and more for last year%27s entry-level iPad
• No specific date from Apple on when the new iPad Mini will be released this month

LOS ANGELES — The new iPad Air will make its debut Friday in stores at 8 a.m. with Wal-Mart having the most aggressive price cut — $479 for the entry-level model with 16 GB of storage.

That's just $21 under what Apple and most other retailers will be selling it for, but there are other ways to save money on a new iPad:

— Get a wireless plan. Both AT&T and Verizon are offering $100 off the price of a 4G iPad, but with a catch. You have to commit to a 2-year service plan — which starts at $15 monthly for 250 megabytes of data with AT&T or $30 monthly with Verizon for 4 GB of data. This iPad sells for $529 — instead of the regular $629 starting price for the 4G iPad. The Wi-Fi model starts at $499.

Also to note: rival T-Mobile is offering the 4G iPad for $629 — with 200 MB of free cellular service. That's skimpy, but on the other hand, no contract is required, it's free, and you don't have to buy the iPad at T-Mobile.

—Trade in the older model. Last year's iPad 4 in good condition fetches over $200 on both the AT&T and Verizon websites. Trade-in sites like Gazelle and NextWorth offer slightly more.

Bottom line: the best deal is the trade in. You get to ditch the old model for a new one that's smaller, lighter, faster and cooler for only about $300 for the entry level model.

Meanwhile, mystery surrounds this year's new $399 iPad Mini, now with sharper Retina display, which won't go on sale until sometime in November. Apple hasn't released a specific date and isn't taking orders for the devices on its website, unlike previous launches, which encouraged pre-orders.

Follow Jefferson Graham on Twitter: @jeffersongraham.