Jun 27, 2011 08:31 GMT  ·  By

Giant retailer Best Buy has suspended all MacBook Air orders through its online channels, adding fuel to rumors of an impending MacBook Air refresh with Sandy Bridge processors and Thunderbolt technology from Intel.

The MacBook Air, the Mac mini and Apple’s Mac Pro workstations are yet to ship with the latest technologies from Intel, namely the new processor architecture - Sandy Bridge - and the new Thunderbolt - a revolutionary I/O technology that supports high-resolution displays and high-performance data devices through a single, compact port.

The MacBook Pro family and the various iMac models Apple sells all feature these enhancements, making it imperative for the company to try and bring all its Macs up to feature parity sooner, rather than later.

The first in line to get these upgrades is the MacBook Air. The portables come in various configurations based on screen size and storage, as well as different CPU speeds.

Amid rumors that Apple is holding off shipments of already overhauled MBAs, Best Buy is now listing the portables as “Not Available for Shipping.”

The reason why they’re not launched yet reportedly has to do with the fact that Apple wants new computers to ship with OS X Lion preinstalled.

The company has scheduled the OS to make an appearance on the Mac App Store next month.

It will be available as a $30 upgrade to all Snow Leopard users with a compatible Macintosh model, and it will be a free upgrade to those who purchased a qualifying new Mac system from Apple or an Apple Authorized Reseller on or after June 6, 2011.

Unlike Best Buy, Apple continues to sell MacBook Air laptops with an estimated 24 hour shipping in the US.

Those who buy one now are eligible for the free upgrade to OS X Lion next month.