Source: Ramsey Cardy/Getty/MKBHD
YouTuber Marques Brownlee, aka MKBHD, has caused quite a stir with his recent review of Humane's AI Pin.
When it comes to reviews of your favorite tech items, the latest smartphones, smart cars, electric vehicles and other new gadgets, no one is more respected than MKBHD. The tech enthusiast has become the go-to guy for all things tech and his Yyoutube page has become the premiere destination for reviews, with over 18 million followers.
So it's no surprise that his opinions can make or break an item's reception by the masses. Brownlee's latest review is a case in point.
Humane's new AI Pin has arrived and it's not getting any glowing reviews from anyone. However, his in-depth analysis of MKBD, which he said was the “worst product I've ever reviewed…so far,” has caused quite a stir on X, formerly of Twitter.
In the video, Brownlee ripped the wearable tech, accusing it of being “too sneaky to use” and noting that it was “bad at almost everything it does.”
The popular YouTuber said the device's responses to commands were often slow and inaccurate because the genetic chatbot AI technology wasn't good enough.
He blamed the device's battery life, noting that in his review, it could only last a few hours during heavy use.
His thoughts on the camera weren't any better, adding that photos taken by Ai Pin “look really bad” and videos “look even worse.”
He had some positive things to say
But his review was negative. He liked Ai Pins' ability to quickly save notes and how it could be used for first-person video, adding: “As a brand new product and as a team trying to make something new — that I respect, I respect the effort. “
But in the same breath, he also said that the device has “a long way to go” before it reaches the usability stage, and that “never buy a product based on the future promise of updates to it.”
The reaction from his criticism
After his review was published, there was some backlash, most notably from internet personality Daniel Vassallo. In a post on X, Vassallo called out Brownlee, saying, “I find it distasteful, almost unethical, to say that when you have 18 million subscribers. It's hard to explain why, but with great reach comes great responsibility.”
“Potentially killing someone else's budding project smacks of carelessness. First, do no harm.”
In response to Vassallo's claims, Brownlee wrote: “We disagree about what my job is.”
Of course, Vassallo's comments opened up a reason. Some pointed out the power of MKBHD's opinion and one person referred to how it “broke a company in 41 seconds”.
Some defended Brownlee. Philip DeFranco said in one YouTube videos that Vassallo's post on X was “one of the dumbest, most cerebral entries” he'd ever seen.
MoistCr1TiKaL said Vassallo's response to MKBHD's review was “dogsh*t” and helped potential buyers avoid a “turbo ass” product.
It sure sounds like Vassallo is a hater.
You can see more reactions in the gallery below.