Microsoft Issues Surface Software Updates to Improve App Performance

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Reports are coming in from The Verge that Microsoft has this afternoon released the first set of monthly patches since Windows 8 and Windows RT’s launch on October 26th. Today’s fixes reportedly include a firmware update for the Surface, and appear to improve overall performance and system stability.

The Verge’s Tom Warren installed these six Windows RT updates on his Surface and compared performance with a device void of today’s patches. The result was a noticeable improvement, with apps launching about 2 seconds faster on average. With Windows Store apps typically only taking 8-10 seconds to launch, this patch makes noticeable differences in the overall usability of the device.

Unfortunately, as Tom Warren has pointed out, today’s updates do not include a fix for the commonly reported audio stuttering issues. However, two of the six updates (listed in full detail on Microsoft’s Security Tech Center) close security holes. The full human-readable change log is as follows:

•Enable enterprise customers to customize the default lock screen.
•Improves the performance when you wake the computer and when the computer is asleep, in order to improve battery life
•Resolves an issue that may prevent Windows Store Apps from being installed fully
•Other software updates and performance improvements

[The Verge]