Sarah Tew/CNET

There have been reports by some recent Surface Pro 3 users -- specifically those buying the Intel Core i7 devices -- that their tablets are overheating.

Microsoft officials responded publicly on Tuesday to those reports, saying a fix is in the works and that it will be available "as soon as possible." (Officials declined to say if that means on the next Patch Tuesday, which is September 9, or some other date.)

I asked for an update on the overheating reports and a Surface spokesperson sent the following response:

The Surface Team is aware of a very small number of Surface Pro 3 Intel Core i7 devices that are temporarily restarting and incorrectly showing a 'Thermometer Gauge' icon while attempting to boot up. Our investigation reveals that the system is triggering this event sooner than it should for some people, only when the device restarts, and this does not occur when the device is booted and running. We have an update that will address this that will be ready for our customers as soon as possible. The i7 version of Surface Pro 3 is a first-of-its-kind tablet delivering i7 processing power in a thin and light package. As such, the increased power calls for the fan to spin more regularly and at higher speeds - and for the unit to run slightly warmer. If customers have any questions or concerns, they should contact Microsoft Support.

Microsoft introduced its third-generation Surface Pro 3 tablets in May. Microsoft is positioning the Surface Pro 3 as a replacement for the MacBook Air and other laptops.

This story originally appeared a "Microsoft promises fix for Surface Pro 3 overheating issues" on ZDNet.

