Online Dating Hits the iPad Soon

While the iPhone changed the way we consume content, the iPad is about to change the way we date. According to a TIME Magazine article released this month, Skout.com will soon be releasing the first online dating app designed specifically for the iPad.

Some of the biggest benefits that developers see with the new iPad are the iPhone interactivity combined with the larger screen size. The larger screen size is what's prompted Skout.com developers to design a location-based app that will allow users to search the area around them for fellow Skout users while chatting and browsing profiles.

Skout isn't the only site stepping up to the iPad. Gelato, a new online dating site launched in 2009, is redesigning its entire site based on the iPad. Gelato includes live streams of members' social media accounts in their profiles if members choose to add them and CEO and founder Steve Odom sums the iPad up with, "It's big, it's beautiful, and it's perfect for dating sites."

As online dating sites are highly interactive, it's no wonder that we're already hearing the stampede as they rush to tailor apps and websites exclusively for the iPad. The large touch screen allows a high level of hands-on during the profile building and viewing process and the article predicts we may even see eye-tracking software that accompanies these apps in the future. Does that mean the potential for love at first sight with the iPad? While an eye-catching device, it definitely appears the cliché may become a reality down the line.

Bottom line? It's about interactivity. If online dating site developers can access the tech-savvy iPad crowd then the sky's the limit. Online dating lives in a bit of a crunch due to the iPhone's size, but the iPad puts big, bold pictures in front of the user and the touch screen adds to a more personalized experience.

Want to read more about what's on the horizon with the iPad and online dating? You can read the original TIME Magazine article here.