Windows updates appear to be causing problems again, and this time they're crippling Microsoft's own Surface devices.
Surface Laptop 2 and Surface Pro 4 owners have taken to social media to complain about rapidly draining batteries. In once instance, a user said their Surface Laptop 2's battery fell 20% after just 19 minutes. In another, a Microsoft Answer forum user claimed their six-month-old Surface Laptop 2 loses 25% of its charge overnight when it's turned off.
Surface Pro 4 owners are also having serious problems. One person tweeted that their Surface Pro 4 powers down in less than three hours when surfing the web or watching YouTube. The Surface Pro 4 is now a few years old, so poor runtimes could easily be blamed on the natural degradation of lithium-ion batteries. Then again, batteries shouldn't drain as fast as some users are reporting and Microsoft won't want customers to think that their Surface laptop will be a paperweight within a few years.
Microsoft hasn't released an official statement on the matter but their Twitter support team has been asking users whether the battery drain occurred after an update was installed. This suggests that the battery problems could be software related, and not anything to do with the Surface's components.
We wouldn't be surprised if that were the case. Recent Windows 10 updates have caused all sorts of issues, from preventing Bluetooth devices from connecting to a PC to giving an error message when a USB or SD card is connected.
Microsoft Support admitted that the company is currently investigating the problem. Until a solution is found, Surface owners are encouraged to look out for new Windows 10 updates and Surface firmware patches. Microsoft will want to solve this problem soon or risk hurting the image of the upcoming products it's set to launch at the Surface Event on Oct 2.
The good news is that if the battery problems stem from a software bug they should be fixable through another update — barring that it doesn't cause even more problems.
