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Mel Sampat fell in love with Apple. Then he wondered if other Apple fans might fall in love with each other. And dating site Cupidtino was born
By Gillian Reagan
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Mel Sampat's girlfriend was getting jealous of his iPhone. Once a Microsoft (MSFT) program manager loyal to his company's wares, Sampat left his job last February and became an Apple (AAPL) convert, buying a veritable catalogue of products—iPhone, MacBook, Nano. By early April, his new fetish had become contentious. At their dinner table in San Francisco, Sampat's girlfriend would complain he was too busy playing with his gadgets to pay attention to her. "Can't we talk about us?" Sampat recalls her saying. "Can't we talk about Desperate Housewives?"
As their bickering escalated, Sampat, 31, reached a breaking point. "I said, 'Maybe I'll date someone who will talk to me about Apple stuff.' " As he left the room to cool off, Sampat had an epiphany: Was there a woman out there with whom he could share his love of Apple products? Someone to make iTunes playlists for, someone to watch him play Angry Birds on his iPhone? In that moment, Sampat conceived a matchmaking site specifically for amorous fans of the company headquartered in Cupertino, Calif. "I didn't wait around for market research or some consultant to tell me if it was going to work or not," he says. And so Cupidtino was born.
Sampat launched the site later that month, a few days after Apple Chief Executive Officer Steve Jobs unveiled the iPad. With Mac lust spreading all over the digital grid, Sampat e-mailed the link to a few tech blogs. One recipient was Michael Arrington, the influential Silicon Valley blogger, who was immediately moved to post an alarmed note on his site TechCrunch. "The thought of them breeding and creating little Apple fans, a whole family of hard core hipster Apple lovers, is just not a good thing," Arrington wrote. "On the other hand, making sure that Apple fans only date other Apple fans is a good way of stopping them from spreading their Apple fan genes to the general population, I guess. So maybe this site isn't all bad." A day after the launch, more than 5,000 users had signed up. Sampat's girlfriend learned of the site's existence by watching him discuss it on the local news.
In less than a year, Cupidtino has grown to more than 27,000 registered "Machearts"—all of whom must sign up through the Apple-created browser Safari. The site's simple interface resembles a Mac desktop, with icons for favorites, gadgets, and messages hovering over a toolbar at the bottom of the screen. Users can name their favorite iTunes songs and display their favorite iPhone apps. They are prompted to fill out a form that asks both typical dating-site background questions such as "What do you do for a living?" and more specific ones like "When did you become 'a Mac'?" The site doesn't hide its premise. "Diehard Mac & Apple fans often have a lot in common," it declares on its home page, "personalities, creative professions, a similar sense of style and aesthetics, taste, and a love for technology. We believe these are enough fundamental reasons for two people to meet and fall in love."
While Cupidtino keeps its demographics private, a perusal of the site reveals that users tend to be male and largely West Coast-based—some of whom gamely pose with their favorite gadgets. While users can send initial messages for free, they will be prompted to pay $4.79 per month if they get a reply. The price is pegged to the cost of a Starbucks (SBUX) venti latte. "When Starbucks raises their prices, we'll raise ours," says Sampat. "That's how we adjust for inflation."
He won't reveal how many Machearts have paid for the service but claims the site, which Sampat runs with the help of two interns, makes a small profit. Cupidtino rents shared office space in San Francisco's Dogpatch neighborhood, but Sampat prefers to work from a café or even his bedroom. Cupidtino does not yet accept advertising, and Sampat and a partner—who remains anonymous to maintain his programming job at a major e-commerce company—are paying themselves modest salaries.
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By Gillian Reagan
Browse Issues
Browse the BusinessWeek Archive
Mel Sampat's girlfriend was getting jealous of his iPhone. Once a Microsoft (MSFT) program manager loyal to his company's wares, Sampat left his job last February and became an Apple (AAPL) convert, buying a veritable catalogue of products—iPhone, MacBook, Nano. By early April, his new fetish had become contentious. At their dinner table in San Francisco, Sampat's girlfriend would complain he was too busy playing with his gadgets to pay attention to her. "Can't we talk about us?" Sampat recalls her saying. "Can't we talk about Desperate Housewives?"
As their bickering escalated, Sampat, 31, reached a breaking point. "I said, 'Maybe I'll date someone who will talk to me about Apple stuff.' " As he left the room to cool off, Sampat had an epiphany: Was there a woman out there with whom he could share his love of Apple products? Someone to make iTunes playlists for, someone to watch him play Angry Birds on his iPhone? In that moment, Sampat conceived a matchmaking site specifically for amorous fans of the company headquartered in Cupertino, Calif. "I didn't wait around for market research or some consultant to tell me if it was going to work or not," he says. And so Cupidtino was born.
Sampat launched the site later that month, a few days after Apple Chief Executive Officer Steve Jobs unveiled the iPad. With Mac lust spreading all over the digital grid, Sampat e-mailed the link to a few tech blogs. One recipient was Michael Arrington, the influential Silicon Valley blogger, who was immediately moved to post an alarmed note on his site TechCrunch. "The thought of them breeding and creating little Apple fans, a whole family of hard core hipster Apple lovers, is just not a good thing," Arrington wrote. "On the other hand, making sure that Apple fans only date other Apple fans is a good way of stopping them from spreading their Apple fan genes to the general population, I guess. So maybe this site isn't all bad." A day after the launch, more than 5,000 users had signed up. Sampat's girlfriend learned of the site's existence by watching him discuss it on the local news.
In less than a year, Cupidtino has grown to more than 27,000 registered "Machearts"—all of whom must sign up through the Apple-created browser Safari. The site's simple interface resembles a Mac desktop, with icons for favorites, gadgets, and messages hovering over a toolbar at the bottom of the screen. Users can name their favorite iTunes songs and display their favorite iPhone apps. They are prompted to fill out a form that asks both typical dating-site background questions such as "What do you do for a living?" and more specific ones like "When did you become 'a Mac'?" The site doesn't hide its premise. "Diehard Mac & Apple fans often have a lot in common," it declares on its home page, "personalities, creative professions, a similar sense of style and aesthetics, taste, and a love for technology. We believe these are enough fundamental reasons for two people to meet and fall in love."
While Cupidtino keeps its demographics private, a perusal of the site reveals that users tend to be male and largely West Coast-based—some of whom gamely pose with their favorite gadgets. While users can send initial messages for free, they will be prompted to pay $4.79 per month if they get a reply. The price is pegged to the cost of a Starbucks (SBUX) venti latte. "When Starbucks raises their prices, we'll raise ours," says Sampat. "That's how we adjust for inflation."
He won't reveal how many Machearts have paid for the service but claims the site, which Sampat runs with the help of two interns, makes a small profit. Cupidtino rents shared office space in San Francisco's Dogpatch neighborhood, but Sampat prefers to work from a café or even his bedroom. Cupidtino does not yet accept advertising, and Sampat and a partner—who remains anonymous to maintain his programming job at a major e-commerce company—are paying themselves modest salaries.
Business | Christians | Coupons | Discussions | Gamers
Legal | Politics | Sports | Teens | Webmasters