Anyone notice what Apple says is the correct operating temp?

Question

Their spec site says the machine can get as hot as 90 degrees (F). However, my temp gauge routinely gets to 108 degrees (F) - and I know many others go even higher. Isn't that a reason for Apple to fix our machines right there? Either that... or change their friggin' specs!

Answer 1

Steven, you misinterpreted the specification.
Operating temperature range 50-95 F refers to the ambient temperature in which you use the computer.
What that means is that the computer is designed to operate in a controlled environment. If your room temperature exceeds 95 F the cooling system will have difficulty keeping the computer's components cool enough to meet their design lifetime. As far as I'm concerned, I'm designed for a comfortable ambient temperature range between the high-60s to low 70s F in my study, and within that range I'll be happy and so will the MBP!
There are people who will use MBPs in the desert heat of Iraq or in sub-freezing temperatures and at high altitude on the slopes of Mount Everest. Apple is telling users that those computers probably won't last as long as if they were operated within the intended environmental specifications. Photojournalists often work in hostile environments and so do their Apple notebooks.
My week 12 MBP doesn't have a heat problem. The areas that I need to touch when I'm using it are the keyboard, the trackpad and the rest areas to the left and right of the trackpad. If they stay comfortable to use in my most demanding applications, I don't have a heat problem. (I don't care if the metal strip behind the function keys gets very warm, as I don't need to touch it to use the computer.)
I use a KoolSink tilted aluminum stand when I'm using the computer, whether on my desk or in my lap. That helps cool the computer and keep me comfortable.
My CPU operating temperatures compare to many of those that have had the "grease fix" and are better than some, but I've not done the "grease fix" and don't plan to do that.
My attitude toward heat works. The MBP is the fastest, quietest and most stable notebook computer I've ever owned and it churns through the work I toss at it without missing a beat. It's in the same performance class as my PowerMac dual core 2.3 GHz but uses much less energy to do the same tasks.