I am sure that if you look at any number of other manufacturers of consumer electronics (including phones), many of these same issues would be equally valid. I'm not super iPhone fan, but I don't think it is fair to single them out specifically for these issues. Apple isn't Foxconn's only customer, and I am sure that the recycling/disposal system in China is used by other companies as well, for example. Those rare metals are needed by all phones too, from what I can tell.

J.Ja