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Today in Tech: new iPad 2 shipments, HP CEO Leo Apotheker's company strategy

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Put a fork in it, everyone -- the Zune is dead. Microsoft will reportedly put an end to its ill-fated music-video player due to lack of demand. Instead, the company will focus on putting its Zune software onto smartphones likely running Windows Phone 7. (Bloomberg)
AT&T may be leveraging MORE

Apple is better/worse off without Steve Jobs

In the flood of commentary after Jobs announced his sick leave, some contrarian opinions

There's been no shortage of analysis -- including ours -- in the three days since Apple (AAPL) revealed that its co-founder was taking an open-ended medical leave.

Conventional wisdom has it that the company's existing product lines are in good hands, but that Jobs will be sorely missed when it comes time to invent the next iPod, iPhone MORE

The iPod's rise and fall

Steve Jobs unveiled the first iPod on Oct. 23, 2001, nine years ago today

Here are the stats:

Age: 9 years
Units sold: 278,545,000
Net sales: $47,833,000,000

Note the seasonal patterns of quarterly sales in the chart, with Sonic-the-Hedgehog-style Christmas spikes. Note also the major inflection points, when sales accelerated:

How many iPhones did Apple just sell?

Despite Tuesday's pre-order meltdowns, the first batch was gone by 4:30 p.m.

Technically, Apple (AAPL) hasn't sold any iPhone 4s yet -- the first sales won't be recorded until next week. But judging from the pre-orders recorded on Tuesday, it's heading for its best iPhone launch ever.

According to AT&T (T), Tuesday was "the busiest online sales day in AT&T history." Despite widely publicized server meltdowns, Apple's entire first production run MORE

Feds eye Apple-Google ad war

A dispute that broke out Monday has already caught the eye of antitrust regulators

That didn't take long.

On Monday, Apple (AAPL) changed the rules that govern its new iAd mobile advertising platform to exclude competitors like Google (GOOG) and Microsoft (MSFT).

On Wednesday, Google took the matter public, blasting Apple for setting "artificial barriers to competition [that] hurt users and developers and, in the long run, stall technological progress."

On Thursday, the Financial MORE

Tech's 10 greatest blind spots

From Apple to Yahoo, Silicon Alley Insider spots the Achilles' heels

Here's an interesting exercise. Rather than look at what America's leading tech companies do best, why not focus on what they do worst? That's what SAI's Jay Yarow has done in a gallery posted Wednesday. The headlines:

Google (GOOG) doesn't get social
Apple (AAPL) doesn't get the cloud
Twitter's weakness is good product
Facebook underestimates the importance of privacy
Microsoft (MSFT) doesn't get the Web
AOL MORE

What Apple spends for sizzle

As a percent of revenue, Steve Jobs' ad budget is relatively modest

Silicon Alley Insider's chart of the day Friday makes a terrific point, but it took some time for me to see it.

The chart, assembled by Jay Yarow and Kamelia Angelova from data provided by Kantar Media, shows the total 2009 ad spend -- across print, online, radio, tv, and outdoor -- of selected tech companies, both in dollar terms MORE

Chart: Where Apple gets its revenue

The growing importance of the iPhone -- which now represents 40% of Apple's (AAPL) revenue stream -- couldn't be clearer. Kudos to Dan Frommer at Silicon Alley Insider. Wish I'd thought of it.

See also:

Apple blow-out: Profits jump 89.5%
The bloggers called it. The Street blew it.

[Follow Philip Elmer-DeWitt on Twitter @philiped]