Marques Brownlee receives harsh criticism for wallpaper app
With "Panels", Youtuber Marques Brownlee wants to sell wallpapers for a lot of money. His concept is reminiscent of a Jamba subscription from the noughties and is pretty much flying off the shelves.
The well-known tech Youtuber Marques Brownlee (MKBHD) has published an app for wallpapers called "Panels". It has not gone down well with the Community. The free version contains a lot of adverts and a premium subscription costs a whopping USD 49.99 per year - or USD 11.99 per month. The app also requires access to the GPS location and other user data.
Source: Screenshot YouTube / Marques Brownlee
Brownlee had first presented "Panels" in his review of the iPhone 16. It contains wallpapers by artists who, according to MKBHD, receive 50 per cent of the revenue for their work. The money is to be generated partly through plans and partly through advertising. In the free version, the images can only be downloaded in low resolution - and only after watching a thirty-second advert. Initially, there were even two compulsory adverts.
Never charge for something that was previously free.
The comment columns under MKBHD's videos are no longer filled with opinions on the actual content, but with criticism and malice. In the process, an earlier quote from Brownlee is perceived as particularly hypocritical: "Never charge money for something that was previously free."
Many wallpapers from the "Panels" app can be found for free online.
Source: Screenshots YouTube
Marques Brownlee responded with a post on X. He said he would fix the privacy issues. On pricing, he wrote: "I heard you. It's our personal challenge to create value for the premium version. I will also reduce the frequency of advertising in the free version."
Financial interests vs. credibility
"Panels" is not Brownlee's first commercial product. He already sells clothing, drinking bottles, mouse mats and even scented candles and dog leads. His logo is also emblazoned on MKBHD editions of the "Ridge Wallet". Together with Atom, he has launched his own sneakers, which have not gone down well everywhere.
The monetisation of well-known YouTube brands is widespread. "Merch" is a financial mainstay for many channels - in addition to direct sponsors and the share of advertising revenue they receive from Google. Creators who test products and market themselves as an independent source of information are treading on thin ice: they jeopardise their credibility with bad merch. If fans get the impression that they are being ripped off, they quickly become haters.
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