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Marques Brownlee, known as MKBHD, faced backlash over his new wallpaper app, Panels, due to its high subscription cost ($49.99/year) and concerns over excessive data permissions.

Brownlee acknowledged user feedback, promising to adjust ad frequency for free users and address privacy concerns, clarifying that the app's data disclosures were broader than intended.

The app, which offers curated wallpapers and shares profits with artists, aims to improve over time, despite criticisms of its design and monetization approach.

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[-] celsiustimeline@lemmy.dbzer0.com 13 points 2 days ago

Disingenuous shill. He's been a famous youtuber for years. He knows how consumers think despite getting all of his shit sent to him for free. There's no way in hell he thought this would work out. "I hear you" Oh do you, Markass Brownlee? You heard all of the noise that people think it's bullshit that you want to sell $50/year subscriptions for jpegs? What kind of philanthropic or based follow up do you have planned to capitalize on all of this newfound SEO?

Youtubers really don't have to answer to anyone. He loses nothing by launching this app, and he gains a whole lot of new eyes and ears coming to his channel. He'll find a way to humanize himself through this and new viewers will click sub because he'll appear super down to Earth. New subs = more sponsorships.

[-] Lojcs@lemm.ee 17 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

I don't understand why the internet is unable to say "I don't like this app, so I won't pay for it" rather than "I don't like this app, so you're a bad person". Hundreds of people raging over and catastrophising something they never bought or even heard of until now.

Because it's blatant consumer exploitation. Just because the Latin phrase "caveat emptor" exists, doesn't mean that it's a challenge for every scummy youtuber to launch a shite app in order to fleece their subscribers. This is literally the free market in action. The consumers are making their voices heard. I've never understood the mentality of "don't like it, ignore it". No. It actively undermines the work other people on YT have done to legitimize the platform.

[-] Lojcs@lemm.ee 1 points 1 day ago

Who's being exploited? It's not like the app hides its true nature until you pay. People are upset at the idea of paying it something they don't want to but that's a completely imaginary scenario, those who think it's good will pay for it and those who don't won't. I don't think that justifies calling the guy names and assuming how he must've become (or has always been) a bad person.

I've no idea what you mean by legitimacy of YouTube, but if you think things like this hurt it wouldn't it help to not have a big outrage that makes it reach even more people? Let it have a quiet death and maybe the media will stop creating these weekly how-dare-you-make-a-bad-product dramas

[-] moitoi@lemmy.dbzer0.com 23 points 2 days ago

See these people as entertainment and not as reviewers, influencers. They are not more than entertainment companies.

Secondly, I don't see him as the dev of the app. I don't know which company dev it and he put his name on it. This brings us to the cut. 50 artist, 25 him, 25 dev company. Without him, the dev company has no chance.

If I'm looking my definition, it looks like a scam.

[-] NebGilum@lemmy.world 44 points 2 days ago

This guy is no different than every other smarmy "Tech Reviewer" on YT. His reviews have been borderline useless for the last few years. This is just the next logical step that these guys take - hitch themselves onto a tech accessory or app and charge their followers predatory prices - fuck this guy.

[-] Toribor@corndog.social 30 points 2 days ago

It's kind of a paradox when you think about it. Good reviewers are often just regular people with a passion for tech but as they become more popular and prolific they become part of the industry itself. Once that happens even if they try to stay objective and critical their perspective is so different from regular people that reviews are just part of the sales and marketing strategy rather than pro tips from an enthusiast.

Yeah, I imagine him getting shipped products over and over and then likely being paid to try them out and then paid to review them would dampen the authenticity. That said, I haven't watched much of his content so I couldn't tell you if he really was really bias or changed over time.

[-] overload@sopuli.xyz 3 points 2 days ago

He's on the better side of tech reviewers IMO. I think sometimes he's more focussed on describing what sets a product apart in the market, rather than judging whether that niche is worth filling or not.

Definitely doesn't feel scammy/overly ad driven.

[-] WolvenSpectre@lemmy.ca 48 points 3 days ago

Marques Brownlee: "Don't pay for what something will be, pay for what it is now" and "I don't review what will be, but what a product is now"

Also Marques Brownlee: "Pay the subscription fee now for the unnamed unspecified features this will have other than just wallpapers now to fund future development"

Who knew the next company he would "kill" would be his own. The only way to find his app on Android is to use the link from his site because of the generic name.

BTW Wallpaper Engine, which has an android app, is currently $5 Canadian, and I am told with Proton can also work on Linux PC's and has an huge amount of modifiable wallpapers.

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[-] Soup@lemmy.cafe 35 points 2 days ago

Everyone that buys this garbage deserves to lose their money.

[-] franiis@lemmy.world 6 points 2 days ago

I think I would like the idea (and at first this my understanding) if you could buy one wallpaper for $1 (or a pack of few for $3) and the 70-90% would go to the artist. Also app would have to limit tracking to just some basic stuff. I know you can get wallpapers free, but supporting something that looks great on your screen would be a nice option.

Of course subscription service for this is mad.

[-] cley_faye@lemmy.world 23 points 2 days ago

"curated wallpapers" including random generated stuff, and "shares profits" on a 50/50 basis, for a shitty app developed by what looks like three fivers in a trench coat.

[-] AgentGrimstone@lemmy.world 38 points 3 days ago

Can people no longer upload a JPG to their phones? What am I missing here?

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[-] avieshek@lemmy.world 11 points 2 days ago
[-] mcmacker4@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago

Whose website is this? Many of these look like Justin Maller's (IG)

[-] nutsack@lemmy.world 9 points 2 days ago

looks like shit thanks 🙏👍

[-] realz@lemmy.world 10 points 2 days ago

Calling them underwhelming is an overstatement. I can find at least 50 better ways to burn my money.

[-] avieshek@lemmy.world 2 points 2 days ago

basicappleguy.com

This professional guy shares handmade wallpaper for free.

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[-] FinishingDutch@lemmy.world 40 points 3 days ago

Paying for ANY wallpaper is just silly, much less a subscription model.

The only time you should pay for one if it’s an artist you want to actively support and/or thank for that specific work.

[-] ByteOnBikes@slrpnk.net 20 points 3 days ago

For the last 30 years, they've been trying to charge for dumb shit like wallpapers, screen savers, mouse cursors.

Who are these people who buy them? And what's wrong with you?

[-] BruceTwarzen@lemm.ee 20 points 3 days ago

When toy story came out, i saw this toy story pc game. I put all my money together just to then find out that it wasn't a game, it was a cd rom with like 12 wallpapers on it.

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[-] mortemtyrannis@lemmy.ml 112 points 3 days ago

No sane individual is going to pay for a subscription for phone backgrounds.

That is absolutely a stupid business idea and the people who came up with it should be publicly shamed.

[-] sag@lemm.ee 45 points 3 days ago

You think it's new? It's have already done by so many people in Android community. Like Widepaper, Wallfever, Wallbyte etc. These all apps are paid. People actually pay for Wallpapers.

[-] TheGrandNagus@lemmy.world 31 points 3 days ago

I think buying an app for a couple of quid that has a good curated collection of wallpapers, a nice UX, etc. is a completely fair price to pay for the convenience. I like supporting devs. I fail to see the stupidity.

A $12 monthly subscription is an entirely different beast, though.

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[-] Toribor@corndog.social 6 points 2 days ago

Back in the day people paid for ringtones, wallpapers, etc. Dumbest thing ever were 'ringbacks' where you paid to have a song or something play when people called you. So the people buying it didn't even hear it, they just forced other people to listen to a shitty low fidelity garbled mess of a song they liked while you waited for them to pick up the phone.

[-] ichbinjasokreativ@lemmy.world 31 points 3 days ago

I've not looked into it, but it's probably pitched as a feel-good way of supporting artists.

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[-] iAmTheTot@sh.itjust.works 173 points 3 days ago

Apparently one of the wallpapers is just solid orange. It's called "Orange", is labeled as "abstract", and is labeled with a copyright.

It's a solid orange rectangle.

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[-] dinckelman@lemmy.world 152 points 3 days ago

I feel this is going to be an unpopular opinion, but if you want unique wallpapers, consider paying an actual artist, instead of an influencer

[-] Kecessa@sh.itjust.works 42 points 3 days ago

If I want a unique wallpaper I go on a walk in the great outdoors and take a picture

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[-] Feathercrown@lemmy.world 33 points 3 days ago

"I hear you"

Corporate PR phrase detected. Product mentally blacklisted

[-] ace_garp@lemmy.world 32 points 3 days ago

Muzei - a free wallpaper changer on f-droid

It has many sources for images, like NASA APOD, masterpieces, NatGeo, Ghibli and others.

https://search.f-droid.org/?q=Muzei&lang=en

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[-] vxx@lemmy.world 45 points 3 days ago

Wallpapers on phone are useless because apps are always full screen.

Who would pay for such thing?

[-] Sensitivezombie@lemmy.zip 23 points 3 days ago

Paying for wallpapers is just not justifiable to me, especially when there are so many sources that offer high quality wallpapers for free, from apps to dedicated forums to simply online search.

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[-] Deceptichum@quokk.au 90 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

$50 a year for wallpapers or I could go to wallhaven and get millions for free?

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[-] DudeImMacGyver@sh.itjust.works 61 points 3 days ago
[-] ilinamorato@lemmy.world 51 points 3 days ago

Marques has a decent chunk of his fan base that's...kinda rich? That's the only thing that can explain why he reviews supercars and expects people to use their phone without a case. So if he's directing some of that fan base's money toward artists, I'm all for it, assuming the profit sharing is reasonable (and I have no reason to believe it's not).

I mean, I'm not going to pay that sort of money on a wallpaper (I almost always use photos of family or friends anyway). But if the people who buy it like it, and the people who sell art for it are treated well, you go MKBHD.

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[-] cmgvd3lw@discuss.tchncs.de 16 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

New "LOOK I AM RICH" app.

[-] emax_gomax@lemmy.world 65 points 3 days ago

It costs $49.99 per year (or $11.99 per month)

Why in the hell does the monthly price end with you paying 280% more than the yearly. That is such an absurd discount I don't even know why someone would pay at all for this app but more so I want to understand where the price justification is and who came up with this plan.

To be clear I support artists and more than welcome a platform for them to share and sell art if they wish... I don't get why it needs to be a subscription service and I don't see how such inflated charges are going to help artists as it'll just discourage large numbers of people wanting to support them.

[-] EvilBit@lemmy.world 62 points 3 days ago

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-decision-lab/201109/product-pricing-and-framing-when-are-we-likely-pay-more

Short version: there’s an $80 bread maker with 5 features, a $120 bread maker with 12 features, and a $475 bread maker with 14 features.

The $475 bread maker only exists to make the $120 version look like a bargain.

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this post was submitted on 24 Sep 2024
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