Surface 2 and Surface Pro Performance Improvement Updates Arrive

Just a month after Microsoft began shipping the Surface 2, its refreshed answer to Apple’s iPad and Google Nexus 7 tablets, the company has released a slew of performance tweaks and changes design to help boost reliability and battery life.

According to the update activity log for the Surface 2, users can expect a slew of fixes and adjustments to begin installing themselves on the tablet through Windows Update. Fixes include adjustments so that the tablet gets even more than the 10-hours of battery life its already rated for, changes to the tablets audio software so that it doesn’t have trouble with switching from headphones to its built-in speakers if a user is playing audio and camera improvements that should result in better photos.

Microsoft also says that this update for the Surface 2 includes some modifications that will improve the tablet’s wireless display performance. Microsoft added support for wireless display technology into Windows 8.1 and Windows RT this past October, unfortunately the technology never seemed to work as well as it should. Finally, users with the Type Cover and Touch Cover accessories should see better performance out of the add-on keyboards.

Surface Pro users have a few updates of their own. Starting with today’s updates Surface Pro users still running Windows 8 can use the Japanese version of the Touch Cover 2 and Type Cover 2 keyboards. Microsoft is also updating the drivers for the LifeCam inside the Surface Pro for better “TrueColor fidelity.” Microsoft is also tweaking the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth drivers to get better network and wireless display performance for users too.

Users with a Surface Pro or a Surface 2 – really any Surface device – can update by heading into the Settings application and tapping or clicking update and recovery. All Surface users will automatically receive any updates for their tablet through Windows Update as well.

Read: Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2 Available

The Surface 2 debuted along with the Surface Pro 2 this past November. The Surface Pro 2 is more akin to a ultrabook and includes a 10.6-inch high definition touchscreen display, an Intel Core i5 processor and a bundled stylus. The Surface Pro 2 starts at $899. On the other hand the Surface 2 includes an Nvidia Tegra 4 processor, 2GB of RAM and a 10.6-inch display. As the Surface 2 is meant to compete directly with the iPad and Nexus 7, it doesn’t allow users to install applications from places other than the Windows Store. Pricing for the Surface 2 starts at $449.