Microsoft's New Surface Book Update Will Fix Sleep Problems

When we reviewed Microsoft's Surface Book back in October we noticed a number of weird issues. Bluescreens and driver crashes occurred frequently, and the docking app for the display crashed occasionally. Microsoft assured us that some of the issues would be addressed before consumers started purchasing the devices, but they weren't. A growing number of Surface Book and Surface Pro 4 owners have been voicing their issues recently.

Paul Thurrott labelled the problems Microsoft's "Surfacegate" last month, and Surface owners have been turning to Microsoft's support forums. Now the software maker has now been forced to finally respond. Microsoft is rolling out new firmware updates today for the Surface Book and Surface Pro 4 that address power management problems and Intel driver issues. Microsoft doesn't state whether this addresses all of the complaints, but Surface boss Panos Panay notes he has been reading blogs, comments, social media, and forums to take in all the feedback.

"We are committed to continuing to improve Surface," says Panay. "And to continue to help all our customers realize the full benefits of the latest silicon and Windows 10." This latest silicon, Intel's Skylake processor, has been particularly troublesome. According to sources at Microsoft, the company has been struggling with the power management of Intel's new Skylake chipsets.

Microsoft isn't alone, either. Dell has suffered similar problems with Intel's Skylake chips, and has had to issue a number of BIOS updates to address early glitches with power management. OEMs generally have a few bugs with any processor transition, but we've heard there have been a few more issues with this architecture transition.

Microsoft is addressing some issues today, and will continue to push fixes through Windows Update. Despite the feedback and issues, Panos Panay is still pumped about Surface. "We are pumped that many of you love your Surfaces," says Panay. "Keep the feedback coming."