TL;DR
MKBHD is shutting down the Panels app at the end of this month, citing issues with finding the right development team fit.
You can no longer buy collections, and you must download existing wallpapers before the app is removed.
Users will receive automatic pro-rated refunds for active subscriptions, and the app code is promised to be open-sourced after shutdown.
It’s been around for like 2 years now I believe. There was a bit of hype about it when it first came out since he’s a popular influencer but it didn’t get many to actually sign up for the $50 a year subscription. I do know people did the on time purchases of some individual wallpapers though. As to why, I think he is too into the Apple ecosystem of everything being a subscription that he forgets that most people can’t afford nonsense.
$50/yr for wallpapers?!?! That’s some asshat seeing the enshitification train and thinking, “Man I gotta get on THAT!”
$50/yr?!?!
For WALLPAPERS?!?!
It was split with the artists of said wallpapers, and was also kind of a gallery app thing IIRC.
But hey, as a Finnish saying goes, “It isn’t the one who asks who is stupid, but the one who pays.”
amusing thing is that when it came out someone ripped all the wallpapers from the app and put them online for free. most of it was AI slop anyways.
Haha yeah they were in like a Google cloud folder the app would call to to retrieve them. They were available for free the same day it released
It had some popular YouTuber’s name on it, that’s enough for some to buy anything
I can only imagine with his audience size what his team looks like right now. I’m sure they aren’t content with standard YT revenue and are always looking for ways to turn his massive fame into more dollars. They cover a lot of silly expensive high end shit like Rivians and Apple Vision. It’s not crazy to think that they could milk the rich fools for a buck. Believe it or not there are people who think to themselves “Hm, interesting. $50? Okay, that’s nothing, I’ll check it out.”