I spoke with Apple over the weekend, and to my surprise, some of the issues are well known. Known well enough in fact, that Appe has already started addressing these issues in updated MacBook Pros. According to Apple, it has begun replacing the mainboard inside its MacBook Pros with a new revision. It calls the udpated product "revision D", which is identifiable by product serial number.

• Serial numbers starting with W8611: revision D
• Serial numbers starting with W8610: revision C

Apple said that revision D MacBook Pros have many issues addressed and improvements made, including fixes to the above mentioned issues. We were also able to get a hold of a MacBook Pro that just arrived during the week with a serial number starting with W8612, which did not exhibit any of the above issues. Many users are also reporting that their MacBook Pros become extremely hot to handle, especially in the area above the F keys and underneath the notebook itself. In fact, my MacBook Pro gets so hot that placing it in your hands is almost unbearable, and leaving it on a bare lap is next to impossible. According to Apple, the MacBook Pro should never become hot to the point of being uncomfortable. The representative I spoke to said "that should not happen. If it is, bring back your MacBook Pro and we'll give you an updated version."