The firmware update issued by Apple on Tuesday was released without fanfare and with a conspicuous lack of details about what the update actually addressed. Over the past days, users have identified the issue that the update fixed, heat and noise problems with the MacBook Pros.

All the update said was that it upgraded the "System Management Control (SMC)" but MacBook Pro users had to figure it out for themselves that the SMC is the specialized controller that manages thermal and power conditions, and regulates the portable's fans. The first clue was that the fans began seeing a lot more activity, and later inspection using diagnostic tools revealed temperatures up to eight degrees cooler than before the update.

The heating issue with the MacBook Pros has been much discussed, and has been allegedly attributed to faulty applying of the thermal paste between the processor and the heat sink. However, it seems that it was not as much a hardware problem as a software one, because the update seems to be cooling everyone's machines.

Another interesting aspect is how some users initially reported that this update also fixes the 'whining' problem, however, despite the initial impression, it seems that the sharp sound is not gone, and many users, despite initially believing it was gone, have started reporting that they are hearing it again.