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Comment by amelius | Hacker News Reader

Yes, this is what Apple should invent next.

With my iPhone I can do almost anything while traveling: look up maps, pay, take pictures, browse the web. But what I _can't_ do with my iPhone is the most basic thing ...

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You are punning, but if a big tech would create a map of publicly available toilets that would be great for many demographics (any man 65+, those with bowel syndroms). It’s the little things that make life easier (or more affordable) that matter the most (in my opinion).

I know there is a debate in the group that needs “fast toilets” whether they should be free. Well that debate is moot when there are near zero options. A coffee brings what €1 of margin? A toilet could cost €1, and still help those in need. I hate paying for dirty toilets (German and Belgian gas stops grmbl, learn from France). But a clean toilet can be a lifesaver.

Apple Maps does have pretty good restroom information - there just aren’t many.

Half a solution isn't a solution at all ...

If Apple cared about users they would work on problems that really mattered instead of giving us a 100MP camera where 50MP is already just fine.

You want Apple to… start building a public toilet infrastructure? and judging them for not as not caring about their users? Seems a bit extreme of a stance!

I'm just saying that they are solving the wrong problems.

I replied to comment asking big tech to create a map of public toilets.

Well you did literally reply to someone stating Apple Maps had pretty good restroom coverage, and I think Apple's a pretty good example of a company that listens to their users and solves their problems, being rewarded handsomely for it.

What do you think that given their mission / expertise they're missing out on? It wouldn't good for the world if every company worked on curing cancer, or another similarly impactful achievement for humanity, but it's great that many are. But I think Apple's giving back a lot too.

Personal anecdote: my grandfather passed away in a nursing home unexpectedly with just my mother, an aunt, and I. Yet with Facetime being so accessible to everyday people, at least a dozen members of my family that couldn't have physically made it in time were there with us and he recognized all of them.

It’s super weird for you to come up with that “example” - Apple’s one of the few companies that lag on megapixels and work on improving quality instead of numbers.

Organic Maps does that.

> if a big tech would create a map of publicly available toilets

You don't need big tech for this: OpenStreetMap [1], a map (actually, a database) that works like Wikipedia, is there for all of us :-)

It has information about public restrooms, whether they are accessible, gratis, and toilets are only a very small part of OSM.

The more people contribute, the more awesome it becomes.

A sibling mentioned Organic Maps, it's one of the many apps out there to conveniently use OSM (and contribute).

[1] https://www.openstreetmap.org/

Open Street Maps, which Google and Apple happily take information from, seem to have all public toilets indexed. Unfortunately, the map is still almost empty when you try to look for them.

There is a "Where is Public Toilet" app. Google maps work too.

now that got me thinking of a startup to build public restrooms that monitor the visitor with AI.

Someone let me off this planet. I don't want to live here any more.

Should be able to suck it out into a biodegrageable bag, no wiping required

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