eBay updates iPad app with new look and features, offers special discounts on Apple accessories

AppleInsiderAppleInsider
Posted:
in iPad edited December 2014
Online auction giant eBay on Tuesday announced a batch of exclusive iPad accessory deals to celebrate the rollout of its redesigned iPad app, which sports a completely new interface designed for a more engaging experience.




Now at version 3.4, eBay for iPad brings a simplified user interface that is said to enhance user experience by focusing on product photos, content and curation.

The new app lets users browse and discover deals in a variety of categories, including Today, Deals, Following, Motors, Fashion, among others. Photos are a big part of the update and now take up a sizable portion of the display, with only minimal accompanying text.

To celebrate today's launch, eBay is offering iPad exclusive deals only available in-app, including price cuts on official Apple accessories like Lightning cable and Airport Extreme Router:
  • Apple Airport Extreme Router - $138.99
  • Apple Lightning cable - $7.99
  • Beats By Dre Studio High Definition Noise Canceling Headphones - $249.00
  • Jambox Mini JAMBOX Bluetooth Speaker - $64.99
  • 360 Rotating Smart iPad cover case - $5.75 to $6.95
  • Monster DNA on-Ear Noise Isolation headphones - $69.00
  • Micro bluetooth speaker - $12.99
  • GOgroove FlexSMART X2 Bluetooth Wireless In-Car FM Transmitter - $39.99
  • Seagate Backup Plus 5TB USB 3.0 Desktop External Hard Drive
eBay also tweaked notifications, which are now accessible via a bell icon on the app's home screen, much like the iPhone iteration. Google and Yahoo ads have also been integrated into the app.

eBay for iPad is a free 52.2MB download from the iOS App Store.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 10
    evilutionevilution Posts: 1,399member

    Man, I wish I hadn't updated. They have turned a functional app into a harder to use advert.

    They normally attempt to add something clever and make the app worse but this is a massive leap into the abyss.

     

    I doubt anyone goes on there to discover new things. Like me, I'm sure they have set searches or you know exactly what you want to search for so you type it in and narrow down the searches with a category etc.

     

    The app doesn't tell you if the item is an auction or a buy it now unless you click on it.

    To get to the all important item description (which is far more important than the sellers details) you have to click again which brings the description up on a full screen blank white page with the text on it.

    When you 1st start the app, the middle 3/5ths of the screen is an advert for something you'll have no interest in.

    Those regular searches that you normally do with 1 click on the box on the main screen, wave goodbye to that, now it's an extra click.

    Want to look at your watched items, used to just click on the 1st icon on the main page, not any more, now you scroll passed nonsense to find it or open up the side menu.

     

    It seems that eBay have been replacing coders with designers, so now we have something that looks nice but is crap to use.

  • Reply 2 of 10
    badmonkbadmonk Posts: 1,295member
    The new version is horrible. They destroyed the functionality of the app and replaced it with advertising. The worst part is the magnified view of the presentation. It is as if. they took an iPhone version and blew it up.

    Hey eBay give me back my old eBay app which allowed me to focus on what I want to find and not what you think I want!

    The app is horrible. In fact, I will not use the this version until they deal with it.
  • Reply 3 of 10
    capnbobcapnbob Posts: 388member
    Agreed with the first 2 posters. Vastly worse. Those deals are always/usually available and not even the best prices for those things. The app is terrible and far less efficient in managing large lists etc.

    Were you paid to write this?
  • Reply 4 of 10
    minion drinksminion drinks Posts: 1member
    This new update has me almost in tears! It is unbelievably awkward and such a slap in the face for those who do not wish to be pandered to with the "In Thing." eBay's app is now one big endcap filled with crap that I don't want, burying and obscurig the things that I'm actually looking to purchase. This was exactly why I used eBay's app several times a day for years; I could find what I was looking for, buy it and move on with my day. Needless to say, I received quite a shock tonight when I opened my app as I do every night before bed. Spured on by this travesty, I spent a few hours reading online comments and complaints, wishes and requests, as well as compliments of previous app versions... The funny thing is, I couldn't find anyone requesting and pleading for a "Today" or "Fashion" tab or any of the new, so called, "features" of the new app. Sadly that goes to show that most of our pleading and begging to revert to the previous version of the app we all loved (more or less :) ) will go unheeded. Give us what we want, not what you think we want. I know eBay is trying to increase our enjoyment and experience with new app releases and updates but sometimes too much is just too much. Ever wonder why there are tons of apps that make Windows 8 look like Windows XP?!? There are very few companies that can produce a product that we all want before we know we want it... eBay, you did not produce an app we wanted. Leave that forward thinking to Apple!
  • Reply 5 of 10
    croccroc Posts: 7member

    Very poor update indeed. Please roll it back!!

  • Reply 6 of 10
    evilutionevilution Posts: 1,399member

    And who's to blame for this app-based abortion? Chief Product Officer RJ Pittman...

    http://recode.net/2014/12/09/ebay-overhauls-ipad-app-to-look-more-like-pinterest-and-less-like-amazon/

     

    https://www.linkedin.com/in/rjpittman

    Worked for Google then Apple, before going to eBay.

     

    Considering that literally 99% of the people hate it who have left a review on the App store about the update, coupled with the fact that the design was supposed to encourage buying but has actually put people off buying, coupled with the fact that a refresh to the previous version will still take weeks to pass through Apple... eBay will lose out big over Christmas.

  • Reply 7 of 10
    SpamSandwichSpamSandwich Posts: 33,407member
    capnbob wrote: »
    Agreed with the first 2 posters. Vastly worse. Those deals are always/usually available and not even the best prices for those things. The app is terrible and far less efficient in managing large lists etc.

    Were you paid to write this?

    I think one can safely assume AI was compensated to write this clearly promotional piece due to the several ad links and this needlessly glowing text, "...which sports a completely new interface designed for a more engaging experience."
  • Reply 8 of 10
    lustertonelustertone Posts: 8member
    The latest iPad update is worthless and frustrating. I will be sticking with the app on my iPhone for daily use. Hopefully they wont screw that one up also.
  • Reply 9 of 10
    shantimtshantimt Posts: 1member
    Does anyone else still do things the old-fashioned way, [I]without[/I] iCloud? I hadn't updated the eBay app there, so I deleted it from my iPad and reinstalled from iTunes, it has a few bugs now, weird unmarked notifications springing up occasionally, but it beats the hell out of the alternative!
  • Reply 10 of 10
    jhill32654jhill32654 Posts: 1member
    [I]You would do us ipad users a great service if you did a follow up story on the overwhelmingly negative response this app has received. Just look at the reviews and comments both in the App Store and on eBay "Get satisfaction" customer service site[/I]
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