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it was meant to create an aggregate community of artists who could actively engage and create with the paying consumers of said art. It didn't work

Well said. It didn’t work.

But, I think it was made to bilk people out of money more than anything else.
 
Wow, way too many sour grapes on here who are obviously just super jelly of a guy who's been able to monetize his views on tech - while you all just sit here barking at each other over Apple rumors. Sad. Anyway, MKBHD is great, and he makes great content, which is why it's no surprise his brand (and team) took off very easily. And as he said, this wasn't 'just an app to download wallpapers' ... it was meant to create an aggregate community of artists who could actively engage and create with the paying consumers of said art. It didn't work - but sometimes things just don't. It reminds a lot like Apple's Ping - where the idea was to better connect musicians with fans. That idea didn't work either, BTW, and that was launched by one of the largest brands - with the largest marketing budgets - in the world....
Fanboy or pseudonym?
 
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Definitely a misfire, and I feel like that should've been obvious from the initial negative reaction to it. It was released in a tone-deaf manner, and I'm not surprised it didn't take off.

I actually do still like MKBHD (especially when he stuck to his guns re. his negative review of that dumb AI pin), but like all YouTubers who've found success, the quest for monetization never ends, and it leads to flops like this one. Not the first time I've seen a YouTuber try and create a subscription service that didn't take off. Everyone wants that monthly bag, you have to give people a good reason to give it to you. Marques clearly didn't.
 
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MKBHD started spiraling downhill when he thought himself to be the God of tech by banning companies to the shadow realm like Fisker. Like bro, you make videos. chill
 
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People really overreacted over this app. It’s not like we were forced to buy these wallpapers and it was not like he stole some artists work. It was a way for artists to make money through subscription. I would never subscribe or buy wallpapers from an App because I don’t care about wallpapers (black wallpaper on my iPhone) but there are people like MKBHD who care about stuff like that and people really ask him about the wallpapers in his videos. I have a supposition why the backlash over such a silly thing. If someone becomes too big people want to see the downfall.
A good example of Tall Poppy syndrome

In my country (NZ), we’ve almost perfected the art of Tall Poppy syndrome, to the point where some people don’t even put their head up above the parapet just to avoid the ensuing onslaught.
 
A 12 usd/month subscription to download wallpapers? Why?? That's half the price I pay for gigabit fiber internet access. If you have that much disposable money, might as well give it to a homeless person, but please don't spend it on virtual decorations that have zero real world value. I think the very existence of such a service is ridiculous.
 
Only time I do subscriptions is for services and utilities (if you want to refer to it as a subscription).

Many free options for wallpapers plus as other have mentioned in the age of AI, this is too little too late.
 
I never understood the appeal of a wallpaper. My background usually is completely black or a gradient between two very dark colours.
 
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Out of curiosity, What exactly don’t you like about him?

His production value is top-tier, but the actual content feels safe to the point of being bland. I'm watching a review to understand what someone thinks, not just what a product is or does. When every take is carefully hedged and every opinion is middle-of-the-road, it starts feeling more like polished marketing material than genuine critique. I want reviewers who'll actually have, vocalize and explain an opinion, even if I disagree with it.
 
NVM the cesspool Youtube reviewer ecosystem, I don't even trust it for silly cat videos anymore. Seems like everything is AI slop w/ the same fake voice and same emotive soft music and even the video itself can't be trusted.
 
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how's it feel, Mr BROWNLEE? to have your product reviewed badly?

" turn Panels into the vision that he had."

there's a vision?
The "vision" was to harvest your data and monetize it. Pretty disappointing from someone who should know better.
 
His production value is top-tier, but the actual content feels safe to the point of being bland. I'm watching a review to understand what someone thinks, not just what a product is or does. When every take is carefully hedged and every opinion is middle-of-the-road, it starts feeling more like polished marketing material than genuine critique. I want reviewers who'll actually have, vocalize and explain an opinion, even if I disagree with it.
His mannerisms likely help hide most of the frustration he might have. Most youtubers are a bit over the top.

I just got an iPad Air M3, and trying to figure out what sort of case I wanted for the thing.. Something just to cover the screen, the edges? The keyboard? There's so much junk reviewers out there, with maybe one out of Vancouver getting in to the nitty gritty of what makes some cases work best over others... but boy... how many videos do I need to watch these days where I need to skip 90 seconds ahead to get through a plug?

But, I was drawn to Marques' video about use of the iPad to replace a laptop... Could you make use of that very, very expensive keyboard, and highlight some of the features of iPadOS 26, and whether it truly went far enough to replace a laptop, and why it fails or succeeds for him in certain situations, and that ultimately being the crux. What do you do day to day, and can you live within that box? He makes points to consider because no device does everything.

I have never subscribed to his content, and likely missed a bunch, but I've seen him clearly criticize in the past. The ludicrousness of the Apple Mouse charge port from TEN years ago when no other mouse manufacturer does it, the Mac Pro trashcan being sold for $3600 while also being able to be traded in for... nothing... Apple would recycle for you. I think it was the lightning port on the Airpod Max when there was a clear shift to USB-C. I think he's taken stabs at the refresh rates on most Apple iPhones until this year.
 
Don’t understand how a business model that tried to monetize something that was available for free with a simple google search could fail
 
Ain't that the truth. I unsubscribed years ago when it hit me that this guy doesn't have anything of value to say, much less an opinion on anything.
Yeah, I have no interest in MKBHD at all. He's always rubbed me up the wrong way - not at all what he seems.

BUT I do subscribe to The Studio channel, there's a great team of people behind the scenes. I also watch the podcast, but the best ones are when Marques isn't there and the other guys can just relax and have fun with it - those episodes are the best.
 
I like Marques and think he's one of the best YouTubers currently, but he does come across as quite young and unwise at times. This app was one of those times.
I mean he is young. And it's OK to make mistakes. The only ones who never make a mistake are those who never do anything.
 
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