Well I don't think people spend enough time on the toilet to justify an extra cost (save maybe IBS and toilet readers/surfers).

And right now toilets are fully functional for most people, mine aren't uncomfortable to me and are easy to clean and most repairs can be done quite easily yourself. Adding technology to that sounds like trouble and would likely require calling out a plumber to fix things.

Ten minutes a day on the toilet is 60 hours each year. Over 80 years, that's 200 days of your life.

The tank and bowl itself will last 30-40 years no problem. There are no moving parts to the porcelain.

The valves and seals may need replacing, and the bowl should be kept clean to avoid staining, but I've never heard of someone replacing the entire unit every 10 years.

In California most toilets are newer- water shortages compelled upgrades.

>Then we are talking less than the cost of your internet connection

Not if you consider the time value of money, which you should do when making any cost comparison.

You can say that about almost anything, then. Your bedroom door: why not throw a thousand at it? You open and close it frequently, and that tiny squeak is ever so annoying. If you greased the hinge it would go away for a few months, but still, how long does a door last? Ten years?

Now substitute toilet for door, and wiping for greasing. Or sink, and running out of room or not having the nozzle high enough or having scratches. Do this a couple times and congrats, you've just paid enough for most Americans to buy a car - which is more important?

The problem is that most people really don't think a fancy toilet would be any better than a normal one. Maybe even worse, based on the fancy and expensive low-flow toilets they've seen that don't work well. It's not a "pain point". So why would you spend any money on it at all?

That's mostly irrelevant. What you have to consider is the opportunity costs of forgoing food or internet compared the opportunity cost of settling for an 'old-fashioned' toilet. For me, at least, the former are much cheaper.

But we focus more on the up-front costs rather than the cumulative costs. Think about the cell phone market - how many people will be happy to get a free phone, only to be subject to $50-100 monthly bill for 2 years.

Hey now, I'd have a Toto toilet if my apartment would let me install one. Problem is, they won't, because they don't want to deal with it when I move out.