Dating on the iPad? How about Eye Tracking Software, too?

Filed in archive Trends on March 27, 2010

David Evans has a piece out that looks at how the iPad will impact online dating. At first I thought, "Well, why would it be that big a deal?" I almost didn't read it. But since there's an article on how the iPad will affect everything else on earth, I decided it might be worth looking at...

The most obvious impact is actually simple for any real geek to see. Developers are going to want to create every application they can for the new iPad because that's what developers do. Excitement over new products usually creates an app feeding frenzy. Why should this be any different? There's more excitement that usual, so look for more apps than usual. And that's good for online daters.

But Evans thinks the real impact will come from a technology called "eye tracking" that tablets are especially suited for. While eye tracking has incredible implications for reading (see the video), it could also be used to draw conclusions about what you like and don't like based on what you look at on a screen and how long you spend looking at it. And (as if this isn't super obvious already), what you like and dislike has profound implications for online dating...