Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

POLL: iPad in Business Email Signature Professional?

Sent from my iPad in email signature?

  • Professional?

    Votes: 40 20.9%

  • Unprofessional?

    Votes: 110 57.6%

  • No opinion either way?

    Votes: 41 21.5%
  • Total voters
    191
  • Poll closed .
dadoftwogirls

dadoftwogirls

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Feb 28, 2011
254
0
Florida
In the business I own I am debating with my IT guy. We have our company email configured on the iPads (and iPhones) of those who use them. One of us says clients in today's technological world would view it favorably if in the employees email signature showed "Sent from my iPad" under all the normal name, address, phone stuff. A way of showing the clients not only we are technologically advanced, but that were very accessible almost anywhere. The other says it looks unprofessional. I won't say who's stance is which until the poll closes but I can tell you who will win. ;) So, what do you think? You'd think like Darth Vader..."Impressive, most impressive..." or would you think what is this... "Revenge of the dorks"?
 
Last edited:
Personally I hate all those "Sent from my xxx" signatures no matter whether they say "iPhone", "iPad", "Blackberry", "Android" or anything else.

I've never seen a signature such as "sent from my iMac" so why advertise it's sent from a mobile device?

The only (even slightly) valid reason I can think of is to alert the recipient that it's been sent from a mobile device and may therefore be more prone to spelling mistakes and may be shorter than a normal e-mail. However, even that tenuous reason isn't applicable for the iPad as the whole point is it should be able to send emails as well as a desktop machine.

Another reason I don't like these signatures is that I don't necessarily want the recipients of my e-mail to know I'm using a mobile device rather than sitting at my desk ;)


The first think I do when I get a new phone (and when I got my iPad) is blank out the signature

After all that rambling, I wouldn't be at all impressed if I saw the "Sent from my iPad" on an e-mail signature: My first thought would be that they haven't even bothered configuring a proper signature and my second would be "so what"
 
I think the generic "Sent from my iPhone/iPad" is unprofessional on it's own, but I think work emails sent from mobile devices need an addendum just in case there are formatting issues. I know I travel for work a lot and send emails via OWA mobile on my phone (our company is too cheap to buy us iPads) and I always have a signature on OWA that says something like "Sent via mobile device. I am currently out of the office; please excuse any errors in this mesage."

Because you can, in a hurry, really make weird typo's that look unprofessional
 
unprofessional. when i see 'sent from my iPhone' I think 'I'm a douche that has to advertise my devices so people think I'm cool'

In the business world people assess you by results not by which fancy gadgets you won.
 
What type of business is it? What type of clients do you have?

As a business owner, I am undecided. As a client, I would just think it was cool; it wouldn't really make me think "impressive" or "dork." :)
 
Phil A. said:
Another reason I don't like these signatures is that I don't necessarily want the recipients of my e-mail to know I'm using a mobile device rather than sitting at my desk
Click to expand...
This. The signatures on all my devices are identical. I sometimes answer emails when I am at home or in the pub or whatever but as far as the client is concerned I am at my desk 24hrs a day to answer their emails! :D
 
rritterson said:
unprofessional. when i see 'sent from my iPhone' I think 'I'm a douche that has to advertise my devices so people think I'm cool'

In the business world people assess you by results not by which fancy gadgets you won.
Click to expand...

Or they think the person is too lazy to change the default signature.
 
Funny, I was thinking about this for the past few days. And not just for the iPad, but for iPhone or BB as well.

I was changing phones somewhat recently, so I always used a generic "Sent from my mobile", simply so the recipient knew if it was a shorter than usual reply.

I'm undecided on the iPhone, iPad, etc. One thing is for sure though, seems that BB users almost always leave the default "Sent from my blackberry on the [carrier name] wireless network", and it always seems extremely long.
 
i DO for the reason stated above. Whenever i'm mobile my responses are usually curt and concise, and I oft send out an acknowledgement e-mail if i'm handling something else. Hence the following phrase :

one sec
Click to expand...

May be percieved as rude to those who aren't familiar with my style :cool:, but is easily transformed:

one sec

-Sent from my iPhone
Click to expand...

tis got nothing to do with how cool I am or what i'm using, just to let the individual know that i'm on the move and will respond momentarily.
 
My signature on my iPhone says "sent from my iPhone 4" and the sig from my iPad says "sent from my iPad 2" And the sig on my Mac says " sent from my MacBook pro" lol. :D
 
I generally cannot stand the "Sent from my iDevice" in the signatures because of two things: 1. I think it just states "Hey look at me I'm cool enough to send an email from a iDevice" and 2. If it's just the default signature, I don't think the person knows how to configure their device.

With that being said, on my iDevices I have "Sent via Mobile." under my signature (name, email, mobile). I think it's important to show that I am away from my computer hence why I may have wrote a shorter email, possible (albeit rare) spelling mistake, or just for a heads up.

Just my $0.02.
 
If it is in your business' interest to promote iOS use and adoption (you develop iOS apps for instance) it could be fine. If it has nothing to do with your business I think it is kind of dumb.
 
While I might not like the default signature (changed mine to 'mobile device'), I think that an addendum is a good thing for mobile devices. It allows for a little license in case of a DamnYouAutoCorrect-type screw up. Plus it's a good way to make sure your coworkers know the reason for sending a succinct message instead of a more thoughtful one.
 
Extremely unprofessional, no matter what type of business or situation (busy, on the move) you're in. That's just my opinion.

Beyond being unprofessional, it reeks of just plain douchebaggery. Who gives a flip on what platform you're replying to me. Just reply with a concise answer to my question or concern, or acknowledge my e-mail and end it that.

The worst signature I've seen was a dopey "Sent from my iPhone because I'm AFK." :rolleyes:

Worst part? This was from a higher-up at my workplace. Silly fool!
 
These stupid signatures are only exceeded by the stupid ring tones I hear in meetings or while in the office environment. It is fine if you are out drinking or at the beach but it make you not only look like a fool but sounds like one, too!:eek:
 
I took it off my iPad but leave "sent from my iPhone." I think iPad looks pretentious, but it's sometimes helpful to me to know when people are at home, out, or at their desks so I leave it on my phone to reciprocate.

I'm currently searching for a job, though, and if I absolutely must respond to an email from a potential employer from my iPhone I delete the default signature and use a more professional one with my address.
 
Personal e-mail --> Up to the person. Don't mind it at all. But really not needed.

Profession e-mail (Doctor, Lawyer, Engineer, etc.) --> Suggest not doing it.
 
In the financial industry just about everyone I work with has a sig like this. Generally it is known that they can only reply with a basic response or question vs. a highly thoughtout drafted reponse.

I don't find it in any way bragging or showing off. In fact most emails I receive from reps and clients say BB or iPhone etc.

Surprised by all the responses here, even my lawyer has it in his sig.

Posted from iPad :D
 
I don't think it's an issue of being professional or unprofessional, but it helps convey to your coworkers and clients that you're on a mobile device. That can be helpful when someone wonders why you sent a short email or misspelled a word. At my law firm in New York, many partners and associates have iPads and it's very common for them to keep the "Sent from iPad" signature. The same goes for Blackberries and iPhones.

If you were taking a poll about a personal device, though, I would definitely vote against using the iPhone/iPad signature. I think it looks tacky in that context.
 
Last edited:
Phil A. said:
Personally I hate all those "Sent from my xxx" signatures no matter whether they say "iPhone", "iPad", "Blackberry", "Android" or anything else.

The first think I do when I get a new phone (and when I got my iPad) is blank out the signature
Click to expand...

I agree, and blank out the signature as well.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back