Scared of buying a new Macbook - help!

Scared of buying a new Macbook!
I really need to buy a laptop due to a book I'm about to start writing, but after reading all the negative things on here about the new Macbook and Macbook Pro with overheating and this funny heat gel that Apple are dunking on the intel chips to try and stop them from overheating, I'm a little worried about spending my money on a new one and am more inclined to buy an older used iBook; perhaps a 6 month old one.
Okay, questions to put my mind at rest. I would rather have a more future-proof intel laptop, and I do like the widescreen resolution of the new Macbook as I can play back native 720x1280 progressive HD footage.
So, this dollop of heat gel, is it on the Macbook chip from the factory from new, or do Apple engineers just dollop this stuff on there when they get a overheating one returned to try and rectify the problem. If the latter is the case, surely this will only work until the gel dries up and stops having any cooling effect?
Will future Macbooks be sorted, if so, should I wait 3 months and by a revised rev-B type Macbook.
I've also read that the fans can rev loud.
I'm only asking as I bought one of the first iMac G5's and it was an overheating over revving disaster; so much so that I had to sell it on eBay after just 3 months as I could not stand it. I bought another one a year later that is fine; after Apple sorted the design problems out. I don't want to make the same mistake again.
Advice please.
Oh, I love Macs, I have 3 in the house, iMac G5, intel Mac Mini and Dual 2 gig G5 tower. So I don't need convincing. I have been using Macs long enough to know that Apple tend to have teething problems with new gear, but when they sort it, it is simply the best.
Thanks.

Hello, I can't answer all your questions, but just so you understand,ALL cpu chips (even the previous apple g4's and g5's), some video chips, etc. use the silicon grease as a way to carry the heat away from the chips to the metal heat sinks. Every computer ever made (well maybe not the original tube ones have this type of heat transfer technology in place so the chips don't melt down.
The comments about heat grease are mostly about how much was applied (with the belief that too much grease may not transfer the heat effectively), not whether or not it is needed. Recent articles on other web sites indicate that in some tests where the factory heat grease is cleaned and removed, then replaced with what some consider to be top notch grease, has only reduced the temperature of the case by 2 degrees. To be clear, this was for the macbook pros, where there seems to be even more concern by some about temperature.
By the way, this heat grease is designed to last longer than the computer it is running in. It does not typically dry out during the lifetime of the computer.
Should you buy the Macbook? Only you can decide if this makes sense. But there are a lot of other people on other forums (popular mac magazines, and rumor sites) who are quite pleased with the machine so far.
Personally, I would not buy a previous generation at this point.
  Mac OS X (10.4.6)  
Powermac Dual G5   Mac OS X (10.4.6)  

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