That's pretty damn innovative for Microsoft. It's a shame they didn't have the balls to stick to it. That could've been the first step to electronics in all sorts of places, maybe even would've led to Microsoft spearheading IoT.
Novel, yes, but I wouldn't call it innovative. It seems overkill and I can't think of many practical uses. Hotmail station is icky (dirty kryvoard). Keyboardless applications.. Hmm, video chat with other iLoo users??
If you want to commercialise the public toilet in 2003, just add a stack of mildly interesting sponsored magazines, and build an internet station with Hotmail like a public telephone.
The i-Loo featured an internet-enabled monitor on the cubicle wall and a special
printer that would allow users to print information
on a standard toilet paper roll.
Many stores in the US offer wipes near the front of the store to wipe down the cart handles. I'd recommend using them, especially since so many people carry around raw chicken / meat products that leak.
But maybe you could cover it with some kind of disposable plastic wrap? Every person would just throw the old cover away and new one would be automatically in it's place.
I remember in the announcement they had a great tagline that completely changed my reaction from "lol, stupid name" to "OK that is good" - Wii will change everything
You can just imagine the circumstances that led up to that being made. I suppose there is a market for weatherproof server racks nowadays with all these pesky kids and their gosh-darn cellphones at camps.
Near where I grew up, a petrol station toilet functioned as a de facto public toilet for passersby. The owner must have been a lilt eccentric.
Anyway, when you turned on the light a little disco ball would light up and some high energy pop song would play: "I Want to Break Free," "YMCA".. something like that.
It was the talk of the town.
iLoo seems like a bad idea, but for an unconventional marketing campaign, doing something with festival toilets is not a bad idea. If you've seen Better Call Saul's talking toilet, that would be a particularly impactful approach.
Apple didn't invent the iName, they were late on that bandwagon. For some unfathomable reason i or e whatevers were for a while the way to name your product if you had no better ideas. In fact, Apple have had to buy or otherwise acquire most of the iNames they use from previous users. (Including at least iPhone, iOS, iPad.) However, all the other consumer iWhatevers were generally completely uninspired products that didn't live long and which no-one remembers, while people do remember the Apple iProducts, so iNames are now associated with Apple.
Tangentially related, but I remember reading a "Top Tip" in Viz (which is an adult comic - think Onion but more English and stupid https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viz_(comics)) which was along the lines of:
When at your friends house, subtly announce to them that you need a poo by asking for their wifi password.
How have I never heard of this before?! In a way I think it was brave of Microsoft to try something like this, something so out of the box for the company.
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[ 7.5 ms ] story [ 187 ms ] threadIf you want to commercialise the public toilet in 2003, just add a stack of mildly interesting sponsored magazines, and build an internet station with Hotmail like a public telephone.
Funny, but that blog had a "pitch" for Twitting toilet somewhere as well. It seems Microsoft combined both jokes into a single real-life product.
[1] http://www.copperkeyboard.com/
[2] http://www.tripadvisor.com/LocationPhotoDirectLink-g1575479-...
But maybe you could cover it with some kind of disposable plastic wrap? Every person would just throw the old cover away and new one would be automatically in it's place.
Edit: There's a condom joke in here somewhere....
The jokes that came out then too.
That aside, I think iLoo is a genuinely stupid idea and no amount of rebranding could've saved it.
There's something quite obscene about camping but with a 230v mains feed and >100mbit internet to your tent :)
The dataloo: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/59/CCCamp_2...
Anyway, when you turned on the light a little disco ball would light up and some high energy pop song would play: "I Want to Break Free," "YMCA".. something like that.
It was the talk of the town.
iLoo seems like a bad idea, but for an unconventional marketing campaign, doing something with festival toilets is not a bad idea. If you've seen Better Call Saul's talking toilet, that would be a particularly impactful approach.
It would have promoted the brand to be sure, just not in the direction they wanted.
I wonder if they were inspired by Apple to use an iName. But then, “internet” was the best excuse ever for the ridiculous leading vocal.
When at your friends house, subtly announce to them that you need a poo by asking for their wifi password.
BTW patch your iLoo regularly! Reinstalling really is an unpleasant job :)