Microsoft has been working extra hard to fix a botched firmware update for the Surface Pro 2. Now, it appears that Microsoft is set to re-release an updated firmware for the Surface Pro 2 on January 14th.
On December 10th, Microsoft rolled out a firmware update for the Surface Pro 2. Immediately upon downloading that firmware update, numerous users began experiencing an error code (80070490) when attempting to install the update. For those who were able to install the update, new issues managed to surface (no pun intended) resulting in poor battery life.
Microsoft eventually pulled the firmware update and promised an “alternative” firmware update after the holidays. Now, it appears that Microsoft Support has indicated that the updated firmware will indeed roll out on January 14th, during the January 2014 Patch Tuesday.
Microsoft also seems to be downplaying the impact of the botched firmware update, claiming that only 3 in 1000 devices were affected negatively.
“Just got off a call with Surface support team and they confirmed that the new firmware will be released January 14th. Interesting the support team have been told by Microsoft that the botched December firmware only affected 3 in 1000 devices, needless to say I nearly fell off my chair when they said that!” one Surface Pro 2 owner stated in an official Microsoft support forum.
We’ve reached out to Microsoft for a statement and for confirmation on the rollout date, however their response was vague. “Our customers’ experiences are very important to us and we are working hard to release an alternative update package as soon as possible,” a Microsoft spokesperson told WinBeta.
The Dec 2013 firmware update was supposed to improve the system’s stability especially when minimizing full screen games, provide an updated WiFi driver, improve the Surface Cover interaction, optimize the two-finger trackpad, improve color fidelity for applications, and much more. All these issues were addressed based on consumer feedback.
Microsoft also quietly updated the Surface Pro 2 CPU spec. Instead of having the Intel i5 4200U 1.6Ghz CPU, replacement devices and new devices now have Intel i5 4300U CPU clocked at 1.9Ghz.
