MB & MBP heat issues?

[Tallgrass]

First let me say that I do not own a MB or MBP. I have been looking at them trying to decide which to buy. Whenever I go to Bestbuy to look at them I have been impressed that they all feel so cool, given that they are always powered on, and there are always people playing with them. I have read in this forum people having issues with heat. I'm confused by this. Do these run hot? or Is this random? Thank you to anyone who replies.
Btw, I use my laptop to surf, email, watch TV and movies. That's pretty much it.
Do you think MB or MBP fits the bill or should I buy an iMac? Thx again.

 

[Hellhammer]

Some people think they run hot, some don't. Aluminum is great conductor so it feels hot even though innards are cool. My sis has MacBook and IMO it's not hot, compared to the PC laptops we have

 

[marsmissions]

They can feel hot because of the Aluminum body, as stated above, but I have never had heat problems. Mine feels hot on the top left corner near the screen brightness keys under heavy use, but it has never (and as far as I can tell, will never) shut down because of heat issues.

Most people just don't know what they are talking about

 

[suzuki343]

Nice in winter.

 

[mrsir2009]

My 13" Uni MacBook Pro doesn't run hot when your just doing things like surfing the web. But if you watch flash video for ages or play games for ages it can sometimes get a bit hot. Thats ok though.

 

[joshfrink]

Like it was said above, it runs hot when you use flash or other processor-intesnive actions. Mine gets hot in the top left, and on the bottom in the left middle. The only time I've had an issue with a shut-down is when I've tried to watch Hulu with a blanket under mine (15" MBP) while laying down. Just have to make sure the fans stay clear, and unfortunately they aren't on the hotter side.