Apple backs transgender student in Supreme Court fight

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Supreme Court plaintiff and LGBT rights advocate Gavin Grimm.
Apple is backing Supreme Court plaintiff and LGBT rights advocate Gavin Grimm.
Photo: Geoff Livingston/Flickr CC

Apple and dozens of other top tech companies filed a Supreme Court brief today in support of a transgender boy’s fight for equality.

In the case, Gavin Grimm, a transgender student from Virginia, is suing the Gloucester County School Board for creating a bathroom policy he says discriminates against transgender students by separating them from their peers.

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8 things we wish Apple designed

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Toto toilet

Japanese toilet purveyors Toto have sold 33 million of these unmentionables since 1980. It’s a maximalist minimalist dream: no toilet paper, no toilet brush but a heated seat and cleansing jets. What could Apple improve? Imagine an iPod-like controller to give your user presets for a wash-n-dry. Because Apple could make even dropping trou insanely great.

Glasses

Apple could pop out some nice designs to make us look chic, yet smart but not too bookish, a la’ Warby Parker above, as we squint into our iPhones or hunch over our MacBook Airs.

Smart Mirror

Toshiba showed this smart home mirror CES this year, but Apple’s take might advise you to ditch those ratty conference tees for black turtlenecks — or remind you to don the green shirt that brings out your eyes in your preset minimum rotation of three weeks.[

Coffee maker

Behold Top Brewer, the sleekest interface between you and your caffeine. It already integrates with your iPhone or iPad, so you can order yourself a shot of courage for that endless meeting. If Apple designed it?  Siri would make your favorite low-foam capp.

iCar

Gordon Murray, Formula One race car designer and the man behind wheel of McLaren in the 90s, designed this car for the rest of us. The three-seater iStream has stalled on the drawing board for years, but still gets design circles excited.

Pet bed

You may have an old Mac doubling as your pet bed, but it’s time to upgrade to this simple, sleek version by Glenn Ross at Vurv Design Studio. Apple’s take would definitely include a pet tracker and maybe a sonic “mute” button for the barkers in your abode.

Swimming pool

How about taking a dip in this Bauhaus-inspired pool? We’re in! This lap of luxury comes to us via Pitsou Kedem Architects. There’s nothing superfluous. Jony would approve.

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Guitar

We’d all be strumming a different tune if Apple made strings like this Harley Davidson model from Liquid Metal Guitars. Rock on!

Thanks to its amazing products, Apple already runs your social life, your work life and your downtime. But what if the Cupertino company designed products for the rest of your world? Over the years, there’s been much speculation about the company branching out – especially the Jetsons-like iWatch that will sync all our data and make sure the burrito is at the perfect temp when we get home.

Here are a few items we wish Sir Jony Ive would turn his hand to — because we’d like to take a dip, drop trou, drink and drive with that sweet Apple logo. Maybe just not in that order.

What would you like to see Apple’s design team dream up? Let us know in the comments below.