Editor’s note: This article is reposted with permission by The Real Deal. View the original article.
By AMY TENNERY
Real estate listings website StreetEasy is planning to launch a new iPad application in late fall, according to CEO Michael Smith. The move was made based on the company’s success with its iPhone app, which allows users to search listings in New York, Northern New Jersey and the East End.
"The iPhone has been a huge thing for us … there are thousands of people who use it (every) day," Smith said. "(But) at the end of the day it’s got a teeny tiny screen."
Of course, StreetEasy isn’t the first to embrace this new technology. In April, real estate website Zillow.com became one of the first in the industry to launch its iPad application, while ZipRealty launched a version of its own in the spring as well.
StreetEasy has been developing the application internally since the iPad launched, according to Smith, who declined to comment on the cost of the development process.
He said that in the past StreetEasy had packaged less information in its iPhone app to accommodate the smaller viewing space — not so with the 9.7-inch, high-resolution iPad display, which Smith said will enable the company "to do some things that you just can’t do with an iPhone."
That’s not to say that StreetEasy is ditching its iPhone. In fact, it’s set to unveil an updated iPhone application in the beginning of September. And despite the attraction of the iPad, the iPhone app has some advantages, such as allowing users to take photos, which is key in the real estate industry.
