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Tech YouTuberMarques Brownlee , or MKBHD , is stepping out of the reviewer office and into the outlook of a builder . This week , he launched a wallpaper app called Panels oniOSandAndroid , where he ’s personally curating high - quality digital wallpapers from artists — but of course , there ’s a stop . In society to get at high - closure wallpapers without viewing ads , users take to cough up about $ 50 per yr , or $ 12 per month .
The Panels app has a strong premiss . When Brownlee is reviewing a young phone , laptop computer , or smartwatch , his machine always have in particular stylish wallpaper . As he pointed out whenannouncingthe app , if you typewrite “ where does mkbhd … ” into Google , one of the first suggestions is “ … get his wallpapers . ”
He could n’t have pick a better time to launch the app , either . Last hebdomad , Apple launched the iPhone software package updateiOS 18 , which emphasizes lock screen andhome screencustomization . So , there should be an appetency for sleek , high - declaration wallpapers that help you get the most out ofiOS 18 . But the flaw of Panels is that the prices are too unconscionable . you could use the app for barren and download lower resolution images if you view two 30 - second ads per image — but that kind of John Cash grab feels like something Brownlee himself would pick at .
A redeem quality of the app is its effort to unlock a novel income flow for digital artists in a sentence whengenerative AI is such a threat . Brownlee said that requital are being split 50 - 50 with artist — if a user buys a wallpaper for about $ 8 , and Apple takes 30 % of the defrayal , then the creative person would be left receiving about $ 2.80 per purchase . Because it ’s so leisurely to regain coolheaded , mellow - res picture taking online , Brownlee is render to create a market for something that people are n’t used to pay off for . But , if anyone has the sway to make it work , it would probably be a technical school influencer with as much compass as Brownlee . If artists can make some additional , passive income from the app , what ’s the scathe ?
Well , in terms of data point privacy , there could be harm . Fans quickly maneuver out that fit in to the App Store , Panels could track user ’ location , usage data , and personal identifier across other apps and websites . To Brownlee ’s credit entry , heposted on Xsoon after the launching to address the return .
“ First affair we ’re doing is fixing the excessive data disclosures , as people truly lend up . For transparency , we ’d never actually ask for your emplacement , net chronicle , etc . The datum disclosures ( that everyone is screenshotting ) is likely too encompassing , and largely driven by what the ad web evoke . Working to fix that ASAP , ” he say .
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He added that he will also dial back ad frequence for the free translation of the app .
For what it ’s worth , you’re able to still get cool new wallpapers from the free rendering of Panels . But the low - resolve range do n’t look great unless you contribute Apple ’s filters , and it ’s difficult to envisage paying the damage of a Spotify subscription to get around that barrier .
“ Part of building in public is getting mass feedback immediately , which is pretty low-down , ” Brownleewrote . “ Almost incisively like publishing a YouTube TV . ”
According to Appfigures , an app intelligence house , Panels is # 1 in the Photo & Video category in the iOS App Store for the U.S. , Canada , United Kingdom , and eighteen other countries . Excluding gaming apps , Panels is # 4 in Canada and # 9 in the U.S.
Updated , 9/24/24 at 2:00 PM ET , with statistics from Appfigures .
