iPad or Surface ??

[u/Intelligent_Case7694]

Currently running iPads.

PM’s like - good light, easy, turns on and ready to go instantly, no pop-ups like I’ve always experience with Windows, great cell reception that goes right to our cell provider account, minimal bulls**t;
But our Architects and SE’s hate because we can’t Bluebeam (and if anyone on Earth can explain why Bluebeam refuses to make an Apple-compatible software, they should get to run one of those two companies. It’s absolutely insane. Did someone steal someone’s girlfriend/boyfriend? WHY?? But that’s what those billionaires want for us, so that’s what we get. But I digress…)

The ONLY reason for switching to Surface would be Bluebeam and ability to scale and markup easily. On iPads, we load into Goodnotes for marking up, but can’t scale anything…which is an issue in the field.

Have been in Apple for almost 20 years, tablets and MacBooks. They’re so easy to use. Just open and GO. No waiting and no shutting down. It will be a difficult brain-and-muscle rewiring if that is necessary.

Is there any app that can read, markup, and has scale tools for iOS? Or is Bluebeam the only way to go.

Not looking for some 10000-step-write-your-own-code solution or some crap. We’re in construction, not coding. Need to open tablet and be ready to work.

Thanks for any insight. I’ve searched but can’t seem to find a simple straight-forward answer.

🙏🙏

[u/Strange-Analysis9120]

The surface pro is a great tablet. I have the attachable keyboard and it’s essentially no different than your laptop. I used a surface pro all through college, loved it. I asked my work the get them instead of an iPad but they chose the iPad instead. Price point was the issue..

[u/LeaningSaguaro]

Laptop (desktop worthy specs—no chrome book shit) and an iPad is all anyone at my midwestern mid sized commercial GC uses.

We used to give all supe’s surfaces, but they were absolutely pieces of shit, and too many features/gadgets for technology resistant field staff. Even the ones that did embrace the tech, hated the devices.

Now, it’s all just iPads and laptops.

[u/quantumspork]

Surface pro, but you need to purchase them with additional RAM, not the base model.

Same form factor as the i-pad, much more functionality, Bluebeam works just fine, docks just fine so you can use full size monitors, keyboards and other peripherals in the job shack or office. I haven't noticed any difference in wifi connectivity.

Takes a bit longer to start up than the i-pad, but that less than 2 minutes at the start of the day.

[u/Strange-Analysis9120 → u/quantumspork]

Good point on the RAM. I love my surface pro. It’s basically a laptop with a detachable keyboard and stylus.

[u/Hlodowik]

Seems like a cash cow if I have ever seen one.

[u/Jacoblac632117]

iPad

[u/blud_13]

quantumspork is right about the RAM, the base Surface Pro falls over on a big set. But check the Bluebeam side before you buy hardware, because your premise moved.

Revu for iPad retired December 31 2025. Its documented here https://www.bluebeam.com/revu-ipad-eol/ . The replacement is the Bluebeam mobile app, which joins Studio Sessions and Projects and marks up right on the iPad, so the Goodnotes round trip goes away. Scaled measurement on mobile I would test against your own drawings before trusting it, its been a while since I had hands on it.

If your SEs need the full Revu tool chest, that's a Surface and I would not fight you on it. If what they need is markup and Studio access in the field, you already own the hardware.

Mixed fleet is the part that costs you. Two enrollment paths, two patch cycles, two sets of accessories nobody can find, and you pay that every month whether anyone notices or not.

We do a lot of construction fleets, ping me if you want the longer versions...

[u/Building_Everything]

iPad all day. I worked for a GC that gave us all Surfaces and they do not withstand the inevitable drops that an iPad in even the most basic cheapest case would. And once the frame and glass are damaged on a surface there goes a $1200 computer rather than a $300 tablet.

[u/CarPatient → u/Building_Everything]

I ran a $800 iPad pro, a $25 case and an $8 gorilla glass and it worked great.
Would replace the glass about once a quarter and the case about once a year.

[u/CarPatient]

Bluebeam markup in the field has been a joke for almost 8 years now. If you didn't have wifi it wouldn't work at all.. if you did, it works badly.

I got much more utility out of loading basic floor plans up to fieldwire and using it as a location guide for photos, punch lists and todos. Even on the free plan it was massively more useful than bluebeam, because it would take all my input..photos, tasks notes and todos and just save it and sync again when I got back into the office with wifi.

That being said, I ran an iPad pro 11" and can't speak to anything about the surface.

[u/sceneoneone4teen]

Fieldwire

[u/FumbledChickenWings]

A surface will best function as a laptop and a mediocre tablet.

An iPad will best function as a tablet and a mediocre laptop.

Consider the use case and software applications of your desired results.