If you own one of Microsoft’s Surface RT tablets, there may be a new software update waiting for you, and it’s one which Microsoft says will address a few niggling problems affecting some devices. The news comes after a moderator on Microsoft’s Answers forum responded to a poster enquiring about the content of said update, and happily detailed the main features for us.
The headline fix relates to the Surface RT’s ability to hold onto a Wi-Fi signal, an annoying bug which often resulted in limited connectivity, but this should be cured once the update is applied. Users can also expect general Wi-Fi reliability improvements, along with driver updates to fix the lagging volume control, better Bluetooth audio streaming in some situations and faster response times from the power buttons and Windows key.
These fixes join a host of other software patches released this week, not only for Windows RT but for Windows 8 too; including many security fixes, a cure for a bug in Windows RT where app updates wouldn’t download from the Windows Store, plus a selection of new language packs. You can read all about the new software updates here, but if you’re not that concerned by the minutia, you’ll probably just want to check for updates on your machine.
As Windows RT and Windows 8 are fairly new, you may need a quick reminder on how to do so. First, go to PC Settings then Settings, Change PC Settings and select Windows Update. Once you’re there you can force the machine to check for any new updates, then apply them as normal. While Google and Apple clearly label their updates with a new name or an incremental increase in the version number, Microsoft sticks with a monthly release schedule and no fixed name, so don’t expect to find Windows RT 1.1 or anything like that, but provided it all works, it doesn’t really matter what it’s called.