The government really has no business dictating how manufacturers design their products. If people don't like phones without user-replaceable batteries, they won't buy them, will they?

The days of replacing empty phone batteries rather than recharging them are long-dead. I agree that replacing a modern smartphone battery, even in a sealed unit is stupid-easy. With the proper instructions and tools, my mom could do it quite easily. I've done it myself and it was at most a 15 minute job.