Low-cost way to meet Apple lovers

A unique online dating site intended for men and women who already have one thing in common -- a love of Apple products -- has expanded to provide its own iOS app for its users. Cleverly called Cupidtino, the site (which launched over the summer) allows Mac and other Apple users to browse profiles of other users and send messages, pictures and other info to each other. The company, which is not affiliated with Apple, allows users to start browsing profiles without charge immediately.

Subscribers (the monthly price is tied to the cost of a Venti Mocha Lite at the Cupertino Starbucks) gain the ability to read and send messages, chat with members and more. The in-app purchase price of a monthly subscription through iTunes is $5 rather than the website's $4.79, and will auto-renew until turned off in the user's account settings. The site is aimed at creative professionals, figuring that an affinity for Apple products may lead to shared sense of style, taste and aesthetics that naturally draw people together for friendship or romance.

The app itself is free and lets users search, browse profiles, send non-message "heartbeats" to other members and send messages. Users pay to be able to read sent messages, check out members that have sent "heartbeats" or messages and chat privately. The members' shared interest in Apple technology provides some common ground and a conversation starter, but is not as specific a criteria for relationships as the "personality matching tests" offered by competitors like eHarmony.

Cupidtino requires an Apple device to sign up for the service, and unlike some dating sites is open to all types of relationships.

by MacNN Staff