Love Buzz

How The iPad Will Change The Dating Game

By Melissa Noble. Posted on May 17th 2010.

New iPad applications aim to help people date. Check out the latest technology.

TIME recently interviewed a group of online dating/techie types who told the publication the iPad will absolutely change the face of online dating. Unlike the iPhone, the iPad boasts a much bigger screen so users can not only view profiles while out and about, but they can chat and search for even more options at the same time.

Nevermind that your run-of-the-mill dater doesn't own an iPad—this is a moot point—because five years down the road these experts forsee a dating landscape where one shops for nearby bootycalls based on location and physical preferences all from the comfort of your bar stool. Speeddate.com is set to launch an iPad dating app, bringing its 3-minute virtual speed dates to the iPad set, meaning you could feasibly go on a date while sitting on a park bench or while grabbing an afternoon coffee. Skout.com will soon debut a free app for the iPad of a "dating" map (very much like the gay hook-up app Grindr) where users can meet-up on the fly, based on who's nearby and see if "magic happens." Online Dating Goes Uber-Niche

Online dating already uses these methods to a certain extent. Sites match you up with prospects in your city based on personality traits culled from online tests, but iPad-geared applications mean dating can happen almost anywhere, on the go, with the swipe of a fingertip. And that's not even the extent of it.

Dave Evans, editor of Onlinedatingpost.com, told TIME that one day our computers will make online dating decisions based on our subconscious physiological responses:

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There's also been talk of adding a facial-coding and eye-tracking function that would use a webcam on the iPad to refine suggested matches based on a member's responses to certain profiles. If you grimace, the profile will fade away; if you smile or if your pupils dilate, similar profiles will be suggested. In other words, some day there could be an iPad app for love at first sight.
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Research shows daters say they want one set of traits in a partner yet tend to pursue another—so perhaps letting one's iPad do the decision-making will mean fewer bad dates and more fulfilling relationships in the future.

Readers, how do you feel about these technological advancements in dating?