This issue right here is almost certain to be one of the reasons Apple uses sealed batteries in its portable devices, to assure safety of their customers through quality control and a very low rate of battery failures.
If users could easily replace batteries themselves, many would buy cheap aftermarket replacements, significantly increasing the likelihood of catastrophic failures. Apple would be mentioned first in all reports of those failures, and the aftermarket battery brand last, or in much less publicized corrections later, or mostly never at all.
Your reaction to Apple’s unremovable battery exploding is, “See how Apple prevents exploding batteries by making them unremovable?” What data are you using to conclude the rate would otherwise be higher?
First, I did not say or suggest that Apple's sealed-in battery design prevents anything. It does allow them to take full responsibility for quality control, and they are highly motivated to use that responsibility to make catastrophic battery failure as infrequent as possible.
Second, I am relying on my understanding of human nature to reasonably conclude that, were consumers able to easily replace the batteries themselves, many would seek out the cheapest possible replacements, unaware that increased probability of catastrophic failure is a trade-off for obtaining the cheapest possible lithium ion batteries. Many third-party battery manufacturers would seek out the lowest possible price point to achieve their sales goals, and would not be nearly as motivated to take responsibility for quality control. The result would be an increased probability of catastrophic battery failures. Apple would be named in the inevitable news stories and lawsuits, but not the third-party battery manufacturer, particularly when the battery self-immolates, eliminating any identifying marks on the defective battery. The aggrieved consumer would remember they had an iPhone or Apple Watch, but have no recollection of the name of the off-brand battery they bought.
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Second, I am relying on my understanding of human nature to reasonably conclude that, were consumers able to easily replace the batteries themselves, many would seek out the cheapest possible replacements, unaware that increased probability of catastrophic failure is a trade-off for obtaining the cheapest possible lithium ion batteries. Many third-party battery manufacturers would seek out the lowest possible price point to achieve their sales goals, and would not be nearly as motivated to take responsibility for quality control. The result would be an increased probability of catastrophic battery failures. Apple would be named in the inevitable news stories and lawsuits, but not the third-party battery manufacturer, particularly when the battery self-immolates, eliminating any identifying marks on the defective battery. The aggrieved consumer would remember they had an iPhone or Apple Watch, but have no recollection of the name of the off-brand battery they bought.