Quote Originally Posted by Bohandas View Post
I believe they're designed like that because it makes people have to throw them away
They're designed like that because it simplifies design, manufacture, and software development for them. Removable parts requires additional mechanisms for attachments, and every clip, pin, slot, latch, or cable you have to use for that eats up space in devices where every millimeter counts and becomes a potential point of failure. Upgradeable or expandable parts means your potential device configurations you have to account for becomes a combinatoric explosion, and future designs either become locked into the restrictions of past design decisions or the 'upgradeability' you sold your customers on doesn't really exist because the CPU, RAM chips, and flash storage cards of two years in the future don't work with the control board you put in the phone today. You'd end up with a more expensive to make, less capable device in pursuit of a feature set/benefit that the vast majority of your potential market doesn't actually care about.

The efficient design also being more difficult to repair and tending to lead people to replace their phones instead of holding onto the old one for extended periods is not the reason for doing that, it's a side effect of the other reasons for doing it. The marketing teams are happy to be able to put 'Thinner! Lighter!' on their brochures, tho.