Having been thru 4 MacBook Pros (two 15 and two 17) I thought I would share the experience.
Picked up the first 15" when they were released, to facilitate development of the universal binary update for MailTemplate.
It worked great. No whine. Since parting with this Mac I have come to suspect that I got lucky.
I sold it and upgraded when the 17" models were released (had to have that big screen) :-)
Immediately I noticed the dreaded CPU/Inverter whine, but suffered through it using all the hacks to minimize the annoyance.
A couple weeks in, the paint on the bevel below the keyboard began rubbing off. Litterally just flaking off.
I sent in the MB for repair. It came back with a new inverter and keyboard. The whine was reduced but not fixed. Also inspite of their assurance that the paint issue would be fixed, it was not.
Luckily, my brother's wife needed a Mac and she happens to be partially deaf. So she purchased that it from me to do video and photogrpahy work.
With two MacBook Pro's under my belt I headed to the Apple store and this time picked up a 15". I figured I had good luck with the first 15" so why not give it a shot.
It ran great with no whine – I thought. But as soon as you pull the power adapter and run on battery there it was, even louder and more annoying than before.
Today, less than 4 days after purchasing the 15", I headed back to the Apple store. Since I was within the 14 day return period and could demonstrate the issue quite easily I figured they would replace the Mac. After all isn't the whine a defect? Right?
The first Apple guy I spoke with was unhelpful and hid behind the recently published FAQ on Apple's site. Explaining that I needed to call them for repair service.
He said I could return the MacBook Pro for a 10% restocking fee. Firmly I explained that was unfair to expect me to repair a new product they just sold me and wanted to speak to the manager.
The manager was gracious and polite. He immediately offered to replace the MacBook without a restocking fee.
After a brief conversation, I opted to get a 17" instead. They had just received a shipment for 17" MacBook Pros with the shiny screen option that the MacBooks have.
My logic was that the 17" with a shiny screen had to have been manufactured well after the batch I had such poor experiences with.
As I type this on the new MacBook Pro, shiny screen and bluetooth mighty mouse in hand, I am exstatic! It is quiet, fast and best of all shiny!
Kudo to the manager of the Apple Store in Durham, North Carolina!
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