14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft has just pushed this month’s firmware updates for the Surface Book and the Surface Pro 4, which are the company’s latest devices launched in October 2015.
The May 2016 firmware updates are specifically focused on improving performance of the two devices and come with new driver versions for most of the hardware available on both the Surface Pro 4 and the Surface Book.
Specifically, the new firmware version include Intel driver updates for the AVStream Camera 2500, the Intel Control Logic and CSI2 Host Controller, the front and rear cameras, but also the IR camera on the front that’s being used for biometric authentication with Windows hello.
The Surface Pro 4 gets the very same improvements, and most of the driver updates available on the Surface Book are shipped to the tablet as well.
Release taking place in stages
It’s important to note that Surface Book and Surface Pro 4 firmware updates are being released in stages, so in case you’re not getting them already, just wait for a few more hours and then check again.
“When Surface updates are provided via the Windows Update service, they are delivered in stages to Surface customers. As a result, not every Surface will receive the update at the same time, but the update will be delivered to all devices. If you have not received the update then please manually check Windows Update later,” Microsoft explains.
Microsoft hasn’t said anything about any bug fixes that might be included in this month’s firmware update, so we can’t tell for sure whether they are any patches for the now-infamous sleep of death issue plaguing many Surface Book devices.
Firmware updates are distributed via Windows Update and require a system reboot, which means that you must save your work before starting the installer. It’s also very important to keep in mind that the devices must be fully charged or plugged in to the charger when installing the firmware update because running out of battery during the update could easily brick it.