Defining the technological advancement of an electronic device by how many washing cycles it can withstand or what height it can fall from without breaking is a very interesting, yet extravagant way of seeing the state-of-the-art. If we agree on this definition, I‘m 100% with you. Unfortunately, robustness is one of the many characteristics, which happens to be disregarded in the last years.
In my opinion, you are mixing two things: the overall dumbness of the mainstream population striving for overhype and ready to buy any shit they see on TV and the modern technology that is driven by competition, curiosity and investments.
Talking about the latter, the current state was a result of multiple decades of evolution, which seems to be the most optimal solution for the current market situation and the level of competition. Also, I‘m not saying enforcement of replaceable batteries won’t have any effect - it certainly will. It might not be the one you expect though.