Design
>Personally I don't think that Steve Jobs is an evil, grasping bastard. I think he just >recognises that Apple users are too dumb to swap batteries themselves without >breaking something important.
It's not dumbness, it's purely because the physical appearance of the phone would be ruined with a hatch on the back. I'm sure there's other ways of making it openable, but these could let in dust and get behind the screen.
If so many Apple users were dumb, you wouldn't see so much free software available for it. A stupid user would not be able to program a computer (and if you're not using Cocoa you will need to use Objective C which is quite daunting at first).
Lack of changeable battery is the norm for many products. But it does seem odd given the 2 year life span of this phone. I guess Apple are just trying to keep out the hackers.
I have an mp3 player and GPS unit with no removable battery. Many devices I own use a Lithium battery to retain memory and yet there's no hatch to replace it. Ok, they're not glued shut, but who keeps a phone long enough to need a new battery? I keep mine less than 6 months as I'm not on a contract.
Personally I have ordered an Open Moko as I'd like to work on mobile software.