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Microsoft to Surface Pro 4, Studio owners: Even better battery life plus faster wake-up

Microsoft continues to work on battery improvements for the Surface Pro 4, while it speeds up wake-up times for the Surface Studio in its latest firmware updates.
Written by Liam Tung, Contributing Writer
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Two driver updates aim to improve the Surface Pro 4's battery life during sleep mode.

Image: Microsoft

Microsoft has released its first ever firmware update for the Surface Studio, as well as a new update for the Surface Pro 4.

Microsoft began shipping the Surface Studio in November and has now released its first firmware improvements for the pricey iMac challenger. It's not a huge update but does target improvements to reliability and responsiveness, according to Microsoft's release notes.

A new driver for the Nvidia graphics card cuts the time it takes for the Studio to wake up from sleep mode, while improving compatibility with new games.

The Surface component of the firmware update also cuts wake-up times for the Studio and improves the accuracy of its speech-recognition module. Meanwhile, a driver update for the Intel Smart Sound chip should to improve the reliability of Skype call audio and Skype notifications.

It's not clear how well the Surface Studio is selling, but some estimate it could be a $300m a year business for Microsoft. Whatever sales it makes, Microsoft is giving priority to Studio buyers, launching a dedicated support line for them, as Thurrott.com reported recently.

Microsoft unveiled the Surface Studio in October alongside its forthcoming Windows 10 Creators Update, which is with Windows Insiders now and reaches the general public in the spring, bringing loads of 3D support and Xbox features.

The latest Insider builds of the Creators Update have improved Windows Hello facial recognition, and tab-sharing in Edge, as well as producing better Windows battery life.

Microsoft continues to eke out battery longevity for its Surface Pro 4 after nagging performance issues last year. Two driver updates aim to improve battery life during sleep mode, according to the Surface Pro 4's release notes.

Anyone who's been experiencing troubles with the keyboard may find relief after this update, which brings better keyboard stability, as well as enhancements to storage performance via a new driver for the Surface Toshiba Storage Firmware, and overall stability improvements with a Surface UEFI update.

Also, sensibly, the touch element of Surface Pro 4's screen is now disabled with the cover is closed.

More on Microsoft's Surface Pro 4 and Surface Studio

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