Japanese sanitary ware outfit Toto has produced what must be the last word in toilet seats - the Apricot - which, besides all the usual features the Japanese consumer expects (bum-warming facility, bidet action, automated lid, etc, etc), boasts an MP3 player with detachable remote.

(http://www.toto.co.jp/products/toilet/t00004/03.htm)

As far as we can make out (http://www.toto.co.jp/products/toilet/t00004/03.htm), the MP3s are loaded on an SD card which slips into a wall-mounted unit. The remote appears to allow the user to simultaneously edit his or her playlist while opting for a post-evacuation arse rinse. Or something like that.

A full-spec Apricot N5A goes out at a cool 180,600 yen (roughly 860 quid) and to be honest for that sort of money we'd expect it to perform bowel cancer analyses, liposuction and get the beers in while we're enjoying an MP3 bogcast. ®

Bootnote

Thanks very much to Britt Johnston for the lavatorial tip-off.

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