Microsoft pushes new Surface firmware updates as part of Patch Tuesday fixes
Microsoft has made available new firmware updates for its Surface tablet/PCs as part of its March 12 bunch of Patch Tuesday updates.
The March Surface RT firmware updates include more Wi-Fi updates. This one is said to improve roaming and "limited" connectivity scenarios.
The new firmware updates also resolve issues with the integrated volume button; improve the Type and Touch cover typing experiences on soft surfaces and/or when devices and keyboards are lying flat; fix issues with "random muting" and make unspecified Trackpad performance improvements.
I just downloaded all of the Patch Tuesday updates for my Surface RT. There are 17 of them, not all of which count as "firmware updates." There are IE refreshes in there, as well, including the update that will allow most Flash content to run in IE10 (unless it is on the "black" list).
The Surface Pro firmware updates include fixes to Wi-Fi reliability allowing for better roaming and improvements to "limited" connectivity scenarios; the enablement of Windows To Go feature; and improved onscreen keyboard detection synchronization when going in and out of sleep, according to Microsoft.
Microsoft has made a few Surface RT firmware updates over the past few months since the product was made available in October 2012. The Surface Pro went on sale in February 2013.
With Surface RTs, automatic updating is always on. With the Pros, Windows turns on automatic update during setup unless users decide to turn it off. (If you do so, you won't be notified when firmware updates are available.) Even if automatic updating is turned on, users can opt to proactively grab the firmware updates before they receive notification of their availability using Windows Update on their devices via these steps.
Microsoft officials previously told me that users of non-Surface Windows RT devices also can and should get updates (firmware and otherwise). A spokesperson told me a couple months ago: "OEMs can (and are) providing any needed firmware or driver updates using Windows Update. These updates are targeted to specific Windows RT models. Recommended OS updates are available to all Windows RT devices at the time they are published. End-user settings will determine whether they are installed automatically."
Here's more on the other updates that are being pushed as part of today's Patch Tuesday.