There is at least one of these comments on every single story about the Note. We get it already, removable battery yada yada yada.
If you think its wasteful to change your phone annually, you better never go to the movies, buy coffee outside, etc. The hours-per-dollar return on a phone is better than anything else you can spend money on save for a PC, mattress, and a few other objects.
Most people do, there is nothing irrational about it. Just because something is cheap doesn't mean you should buy more of it.
What if instead of getting caught in a consumerism loop of enriching Samsung and Apple (and Starbucks in your listed cases) I save my money, invest it, and attempt to be an environmentally friendly person in general.
You are an addict. Waste is your addiction.
_We_ all know the pros and cons of a replaceable battery already. _We_ don't need to be told all the time.
Edit: Please note that if your battery is losing half or more of its capacity w/in one year, it is defective. Have it replaced. (Off the top of my head, I think Apple's guide is 80% remaining capacity within a warranted period. Surely other OEMs are similar).
In prehistoric times, when batteries lasted ages, many device docks had a slot to charge your spare battery as well.
Progress?
The death of the user serviceable battery isn't planned obsolescence, it's a tradeoff to shove the most energy storage possible into a given volume.