Microsoft finally released an update for the Surface Pro 4 and Surface Book that will address the power management problems many users have complained about.
Microsoft announced and released the Surface Pro 4 and Surface Book in October 2015. Microsoft expected the tablets to impress customers but issues related to power management left many owners disappointed.
"Has anyone else been experiencing really bad battery life with the Surface Pro 4? I know it's not supposed to have the greatest battery life, but Web browsing with 75 percent screen drains 10 percent in less than 10 minutes. I'm lucky to get even a few hours of use out of it before it needs to be charged," complains a Surface Pro 4 user. "I can't even leave it in sleep mode or else it will be dead the next time I use it."
In January 2016, Microsoft issued a firmware update, which users believed would address the issues. However, the company left the problem unattended, which resulted in increased frustration among Surface Pro 4 and Surface Book owners.
Based on customer feedback, Microsoft has now rolled out a fresh update meant to fix the power management problems in the Surface tablets.
"Feedback from our customers is really important to the team and to me personally. I read the blogs, I read the comments, I read social media, I read the forums ... and so does the team. We love the energy. We're listening and channeling that feedback directly into our products," says Panos Panay, corporate vice president and head of Microsoft's Surface business.
Panos adds that releasing the update is the company's way of continuing to address users' feedback on the power management issue.
Normally, a person of Panay's rank does not communicate with customers regarding a software update. However, the issue has left many customers dissatisfied and the company wants to win back their trust with communication from someone in a top position at Microsoft.
All Surface Pro 4 and Surface Book tablets will get the new software update, but since Microsoft releases firmware in stages, some customers may have to wait slightly longer than others to get the new update.
Customers can click on Settings > Update & security > Windows Update and then "Check for updates" on their Surface Tablets. The system should start installing the firmware automatically when available.
The Verge cites sources familiar with the matter and reports that the power management issues are related to Intel's new Skylake chipsets. Apart from Microsoft, other companies are also on the same boat as some Dell system owners have also complained of power management issues.
